General Features.
23
\
( the ittore accurate measurement of a professional survey ; and the
sam^xplanation may account for the increase in the area under
watci\
T\ie barren land consists for the most part of usar plains,
which ''extend for miles in certain portions of the loam tract,
chiefly in parganas Mainpuri, Ghiror, lihongaon, Karhal, Kishni,
the north of Jlarnahal and Mustafabtwl. They present a most
desolate aspect and are absolutely irreclaimable. They are of
little use for anything but pasture, and for that only during and
iumediately after tlio rains. In certain parts they are coveied
with the saline efflorescence known as which is used for
manufacturing glass and for other purposes.
I A considerable area of the barren land is covered with dhak Jungle#,
jungle, the remains of the ten Icos belt of jungle which formerly
ran through Etawah, Mainpuri, Etah, Aligarli and Bulandshahr.
At Uresar and Eka in the north of Mustafabad, there are patches,
160 and 200 acres in extent, covered with dhak jungle, and at
Akbarpur Auncha there is a long strip of some thousands of
acres, interspersed with cultivation. Other fairly extensive
stretches of the same jungle are to bo met with near liasemar,
Jawapur, Bidhuua and i’undri, while near Saman and Suuj, in
the south-east of the district, there is, besides much dhak jungle,
a great deal of waste land covered with the coarse grass known
locally as ganra (gandar) or sinkh. The ganra is used for
^ thatching and for making ropes and mats, and is often leased for
from one to three rupees a bigha. The lower pointed leaves are
known as patel and are used for thatching ; the leaves close to
the stalk are called munj and used for rope-making ; the flower-
stalks without the munj are called mdei, and with it are known
as senta. The former is used for ceilings and, instead of a
tarpaulin, as a hood for carts, and the latter is made into coils
and placed on the rafters of houses to prevent the roofing clay .
from faUing through. The value of the dhak timber when cut
r for fuel varies greatly with the distance from places where it can
^ be used and the means of communication. Ks, 18 per 100 maunds
is a fair average price. The babul grows in large clumps on
the ttsor plains, and is, indeed, the only tree which flourishes on
them. Its cultivation has for some time past been encouraged
24
Mainpwi District.
Groves,
Preoarious
tracts.
by the increase of moisture due to the canals and the great I
demand for wood both for fuel and carpentry. Its timber is kard I
and close-grained and is much used for building purposes,/ fuel
and charcoal. Its bark is employed in tanning, and its g/im in
dyeing and in medicine, so that now it is not uncommoi^’^to see
plantations wherever the surface of the usar receives more than
the average share of moisture. i
Mainpuri is a well-wooded district on the whole apart from
the comparatively bare usar plains. In addition to the treo
jungle and the babul which has already been described, it is
abundantly provided with groves of fruit and timber trees, ai:d
with avenues, among which those in the neighbourhood of Main-
puri town are particularly . worthy of remark for their fine
shishams. According to the figures of the recent settlemeat, J
there would appear to have been some diminution in the area
planted with trees during the last few^ years, only 17,673 acres
being shown as against 18,818 acres at the previous survey. Uut
as the later figure excludes orchards and areas either newly
planted or almost denuded of trees, the falling-off may be rather
apparent than real. These plantations consist for the most part
of mango and shishani, though the jitnouriy guava, orange, pome-
granate and custard-apple arc also plentiful, and arc only
established with considerable trouble and expense. But, once
established, they are exceedingly profitable, the mango being ^
here particularly luxuriant and productive, while the shisharii ^
grows to perfection and supplies valuable timber.
The district, if anything, suffers more from wet seasons
than dry ones. The history of recent famines as the result of
drought has shown that they hardly affected the district and least
of all the agriculturists. In fact the district is among the most
secure from drought in the w'hole of the provinces. Still, there
are some villages that are insufliciently protected by irrigation,
notably those of the Isan-Kali Nadi Duab and those along the
edge of the Jamna. In the Jamna tract irrigation is possible ^
and wells are practicable, but ihu depth of the water from the
surface, amounting to from 60 to 100 feet, reduces the irrigated^
area. Canals have been extended as far as levels permit. But
there are villages that are not commanded or lying only at the.
26
Oenerctl Featvi!>*6B.
T
\
edge or tail of a channel and receiving thereby only a small or
irregular supply. A further extension of canals is desirable,- as
well as means for lifting canal water, but with the present restrict-
ed supply from the Ganges nothing can be done but to wait lor
the completion of the Sarda Feeder Canal. Most of the Jamna
villages are provided with alluvial riverain strips in the Jamna
tar Obi which as a rule require no irrigation and in these the
villagers depend largely for a livelihood on their dairy produce,
so that a failure of crops owing to drought in the uplands of the
village is not such a serious calamity as at lirst sight appears.
Ill the northern sandy tract the most precarious villages are
those along the Isan or Ivali Nadi w'hich are neither commanded
by the canal or whose subsoil is incompatil)le with spring wells.
In some villages, too, the surface soil is of poor sandy quality
and not worth irrigating even if that were possible.
The same remarks as regards the extension of the canal to
the Jamna villages apply to these also and moreover much can
be done with special kinds of wells suited to such sandy subsoils.
The precarious villages of this group arc much fewer in number
and more scattered and also much less precarious than the Jamna
villages. Pargana Barnahal, which dtjpends almost entirely on
earlhen wells, has been suspected to bo precarious as regards the
w ater-supply in the wells, but the experience of dry seasons of
late has shown that this suspicion is groundless, though perhaps
a run of dry seasons would bring down the w ater-level to a danger-
ously low^ point. It is probably no more precarious than the
rest of tlie earthen well tract between the Sirsa and the bengar.
In wet years the northern sandy tract, particularly the
portion lying north of the Grand Trunk road, sufiers from the
overgrowth of kans grass, and the cultivated area tends to decline ;
the Kali Nadi tarai especially is liable to the evil effects of super-
saturation, so much so that in 1877 and in 1887 the revenue of
many villages w^as reduced. Another tract liable to ill effects
from wet seasons is a group of villages along the Bhognipur
canal near Bhadan, where the increase of vth is giving rise to
anxiety, but it is hoped that drainage w orks will remove the
cause, super-saturation from the Bhognipur Branch. A good
deal has been done in this direction of late years, but it is
MAINPURl!
A GAZETTEER,
invo
VOLUME X
Of THB
DISTRICT GAZETTEERS OF THE UNITED
PROVINCES OF AGRA AND OUDH.
EDITED AKD COMPILED
E. R. NEAVE, LC.S.
ALLABABiDi
26
Mainpuri District.
Building
materials.
difficult to provide any remedy for the growth oi fcans or super- I
saturation of the Kali Nadi tarai. Reli and the baisuri weed "
render some villages precarious, for details of which see Chapter
II.
Walls are made of clay in ordinary village houses. But
in towns they are generally made of burnt bricks, which
are of two kinds, the old typo measuring 9 X 4 X inches
called raddi or hharra, and the bricks of English size called
gumrna, measuring 9 X 4j X 2^ inches. The former are burnt
in kilns with village rubl>i8h and cattle dung, and arc sold at
lis. 4 to Us. 5 per 1 ,900. They are generally used in private
houses. The arc burnt in Bull’s patent kilns with coal
dust, and only in exceptional cases in the ordinary square kiln.
They are sold at lis. 10 per 1,000. Bricks for wells (garand) are J
made specially. 'J'heir length varies according to the diameter of 1
the well, and is a fourth or fifth part of the circumference, their
thickness and breadth varying between 4 inches and 5 inches.
They have notches and dowels at their ends by which they fit
into each other. Tliey sell for 1 anna to IJ anna each. Clay
for good bricks has to bo selected, as that containing reh or too
much sand or stiff clay would not answer. For the country
pattern bricks, the silt clay in the bottom of village tanks is used.
Fuel for brick-buriiiug has become very scarce of late years
owing to the comparatively small area under tree jungle, and
fire-wood can only be obtained by cutting 'down planted /
trees, and is therefore very expensive, costing about three to
five maunds to the rupee. Village rubbish for the country kilns,
also, has to be paid for although in former times it could be had
for the collecting only. Those facts, together with the general
rise in wages all round, have caused an increase in the rates
of bricks from Ks. 8 ten years ago to Rs. 10 now. Lime is
made from kanktiv which is abundant in the district. It is burnt
with coke, and in places away from the railway with wood.
It sells at Us. 20 per 100 maunds. Block kankar ( sUia) is also
used for walls, especially for foundations and abutments and piers
of bridges. Good varieties of it are found in the district in the
uaar plains. It sells at Rs. 10 to 16 per 100 cubic feet cut and
dressed and makes a good substitute for stone. The rate for
(A)
51. NO. (7 3 ‘'7'’ 75
General Featv/res.
27
(parrying (without (Jartage) is Rs. 2 por hundred square feet,
exclusive of dressing, a skilled job performed l)y masons as a rule.
Stone is not found in the district or anywhere near. F or l)edplates
under girders and for corbels or floor slabs it is oldaiuod from
Agra, where it comes from the Dholpur State. Stone can also
1)0 imported from Lalitpur. It is sold at Rs. 2 to Rs. 2-8 per
cubic foot cut and dressed. Roofs are often made of clay rest-
ing on jamun planks or Ijricks which are supported by rafters
ov bargah 8, the latter again .resting on wooden l.eams. This
is the sim])lest form of roof and can l>e mad(( witn luatoiials
found on the spot. In villages also rolls of sarhmiL i grass are
used in place of the planks. In poorer houses thatcdi is used.
In substantial and poriuancnt houses iho roofs are made of tiles
which are obtained from (Jawnporo. hey sell at from Ks. 40
to Rs. 60 per 1,000. Small tiles are made locally arid sell from
Rs. 3 to Rs. 5 per 1,000. The timber used in building is nim,
shisham, jamun, mango and hubul. All are abundant in the
district and sell at Re. 1-8-0 to Rs. 2 per cubic foot except
shishavi, which sells at Rs. 2 to Rs. 3 per cubic foot. Sal is
used in more important structures. It is obtained from Agra or
(Jawnpore and sells at Rs. 4 per cubic foot. Iron beams ate
becoming the fashion in the more ])retcntious buildings and sell
at Rs. 7 per maund in Mainpuri. In (Jovernment buildings
iron is often used in place of timber under largo sired tiles. It
costs Rs. 10 per maund. Road metal, is ro|)rcsonted by the
bichua or nodulated variety of kanlcav (lime-stone) found in
usar plains like block hankar, or underlying dumal soil in their
vicinity. The rate for quarrying and breaking to size (two
inches) is Re. 1-8 per hundred cubic feet, including a royalty
of 4 annas, if found in fields, or 2 annas if found in uaar,
payable -to the landowner. The same royalty is payable on
block hankar.
The district is not remarkable for wild animals, though Faun*
several species are found in it. Rarge herds of black buck roam
over the extensive usar plains, more especially in the west of
the district, where they do no small damage to the crops. The
wild and broken country of the Jamna ravines harbours con-
siderable numbers of hytenas and an occasional panther,, .while
GAZETTEER OF HAINPURI.
CONTENTS.
Paob.
Chafteb I.
)iindarics and area ...
1
>pography
1
ivols
2
tils ...
2
ivcrs ...
0
lils
... 13
rainage ...
... 10
asie land, groves and jungle
22
;ecariou8 tracts ..t
.1*. 24
uilding materials ...
... 2G
luna
... 27
ittle „•
... 20
imate and rainfall
... 30
edical aspects i,«
... 32
Chaftbb 11.
altivated area .„
... 36
altivation
... 37
arvosts...
... 40
*opB ... ...
... 40
rigatlon
... 44
imines
... 30
I'ices
... 66
fages ...
'eights and measures
... 67
... 68
itprest and banks ...
... 69
rade
... 71
anufac taros
... 71
lirs ...
... 76
>mmunications
... 76
Cbaptbb III.
)pnlatioii
... 80
igration
... 84
>x
... 84
Bligions ...
86
Paob.
Hindu sects
... 87
Castes
... 88
Occupations
... 101
Language!..
... 102
Literatiuo
... 102
Propriotaiy tenures ...
... 102
l*ropriotors ...
... 104
Cultivating tenures ...
... 106
Kents
... H>8
Condition of the people
... Ill
CHArTBB IV.
District staff
... 113
Formation of the district
... 115
Fiscal history
... 116
Police
... 132
Crime
... 132
Excise ...
... 138
Stamps ...
... 139
Itcgistration ...
... 130
Income tax
... 140
Post-office and telegraph
... 140
Municipality
... 140
District board
... 142
Fklucation... ...
... 142
Dispensaries
... 141
Cattle- pounds
... 115
Nazul lands ...
... 145
Chafteb V.
History ...
... 146
Directory
... 181
Appendix
i— zzxiv
lodcz
... i-iv
28
Main'pvtri District*
Fisheries.
chinkara may from time to time be met with there, ihe hyaena
also frequents the central portion of the district. Wolves are
fairly common throughout the district, and a reward of ten rupees ^
is offered for the destruction of a full-grown animal. Ihe same I
price is set upon the head of the leopard, the hyoona only fetching
one fifth as much. The average amount paid yearly in rewards
during a period of six years was Ks. 148 and the average
number of reported deaths caused by wild animals and snakes
during the same ])eriod was 40. A few nllgcti (Boseltiphiis
are to be found in the dhah jungles. The com-
moner kinds of game-birds are fairly plentiful all over the
district, and in the cold weather the numerous jhils and lakes A
attract largo numbers of wildfowl and snipe. Pigeons are ? W
exceedingly common in the south owing to the large number of *
earthen wells wlu'ro they resort. The peacock is met with every- y
where, but is regarded as a sacred bird and protected. Black
partridge are to Ije found along the Kali Nadi only, and grey
partridge, though met with everywhere, are very plentiful along
the flamna ravines. Crocodiles and alligators abound in the
Jamna and Kali Nadi, and occasionally are seen in the
canals.
The rohUj parhiny saiUi and siviy are the fish most com-
monly caught for food, and are sold at rates varying from one
to two annas a s(r. All castes and religions, with the exception , ^
of Brahmans, Jains and certain of the Bania caste, eat fish,
and there is thus a very considerable demand. The fishing
rights on most of the tanks and rivers are leased to Kaliars, who
often pay high prices for the privilege. The best fishing is on
the Kali and Is an, and in the cold weather parkin and mullet
from half a pound to three pounds in weight may be taken
there with the rod. Mahseer have been occasionally caught in the
canals. The modes of fishing in vogue do not differ from those
employed in other districts, the sweep-net, hand-net, funnel-net
{hillc(i)y basket (khoncha) and dam (band), being all made use ^
of according to circumstances and locality. There is no fish- ^
preserving, and young fry are destroyed in large numbers at the
beginning of the hot weather by embanking the streams and
employing a funnel-shapod net. During the rains fish are
General Features.
29
considered impure by most classes and arc then seldom to be Cattle. |
found for sale in the markets. ‘ I
^ There are no peculiar breeds of domestic cattle in the dis- |
trict, and the animals are for the most part of the ordinary type, |
bred from the dedicated Brahrnini bull. Some attempts have, |
however, been made to improve the breed, and have met with a 1
fair measure of success. In 18/0 throe stud bulls were imported |
from Ilissar, two of them a cross between a Nagor bull and a
Mysore cow, and the third a cross between a Nagor bull and a
Hariana cow. There was a groat demand for their services and |
the experiment was a success. Again, the Court of Wards ^
recently brought in two stud bulls, one of the Khairigarh ai\d |
I the other of the Kosi l)roed, which stood at Baraiili and Arjun-
pur respectively. The Khairigarh bull i)roduccd good stock
^and was popular. There is an impoilant cattle market at Sirsa-
1 ganj, which supplies all animals for agricultural purposes to this c
and the neighbouring districts. Other important cattle markets
are at Ghiror and Karhal. The returns of the recent cattle
census in 1909 showed the district to contain 141,709 bullocks,
r)G,087 cows, 128,756 buflFaloes, 152,818 young bullocks, calves
and buffalo calves. There were 82,863 ploughs and 12,295 carts.
There are herds of wild cattle in several ])arts of the district, the
largest being located near Jasrana and Ghiror.
In 1909 there were 17,729 horses, ponies and mares in the Hwbos
district. The stock is poor, and the results of past efforts to ponies,
improve it have not been encouraging. It would seem that
the climate is too dry and the graJiing too scanty for successful
horse-breeding. There were formerly about six private stallions
and four Government ones kept in the district, but now not more
than two are still in private hands and only one is maintained
by the district board. Common country ponies of small size sell
at prices ranging between Rs. 5 and Rs. 15, while large ones ^
fetch from Rs. 60 to Rs. 100. The supply of horses is replenished i
from the Batesar fair. |
L Of the other domestic animals, sheep in 1909 numbered
^ 37,267 and goats 1S6,672. The former are kept both for wool animals,
and slaughter, and sell for prices varying from 12 annas to 3 ^ |
rupees. The improvement of the breed has hitherto received but |
PREFACE.
The old Qazetteer of the Mainpuri district was
edited by Mr. E. T. Atkinson and was based on the
Settlement Report of Messrs. McConaghey and Smoaton
and materials supplied by the district officers. In mak-
ing the present revision I have been much indebted to
the Settlement Report of Mr. W. J. E. Lupton, I.O.S.,
and notes written by Mr. Morris, I.C.S., when Collector
of the district in 1904. But I have to express my
particular gratitude to Mr. A. C. Walker, I.C.S., the
present Collector of Mainpuri, for his ready and gene-
rous help. Ho road through the typewritten sheets of
the whole book (except Chapter V) before it went to
press, rewriting many paragraphs in the light of his
own local knowledge, adding a great deal of new material,
and sparing neither time nor labour to ensure the
correctness and completeness of the work. He also
gave me further assistance by reading the proofs.
Naini Tal :
i/une 1909.
E.R. N.
Cattle
Disease.
Olixnate.
Mainpwi District*
little attention, though a fruitless ofFort in this direction was
made in 1870, when two English rams, a Leicester and a South- ^
down, were imported, but died soon after theii ai rival. The
goats known Imth hero and in the Etawah district as the
Jamnapari brood arc greatly prized and fetch high prices, but the
ordinary kinds of goat can be bought for from one to five
rupees. Camels are seldom lirod in the; district, the great source
of supply for them lieing the Batesar fair. There wore 995 of
them in 1909. Donkeys, of which there wore 8,285, are of the
ordinary under-sized type so common in the country, and call for
no special comment.
There is always a certain amount of cattle disease in the
district, but the statistics are not to be relied upon, except, to a
small degree, in the ease of the contagious diseases specially
reported. Of those the most serious have, in recent years, beent
rinderpest and foot and mouth disease, both of which broke out f
as severe epidemics in 1900-1901, when 752 attacks of the
former, with 328 deatlis, and 41 1 attacks of the latter, with Ido
deaths, were reported. The epidemic of rind..!r))ost affected
chiefly the tahsils of Bhongaon, Mainpuri and Karhal, and foot
and mouth disease those of Bhongaon and Mainpuri. A
veterinary assistant is entertained liy tlio distiict board for
the purpose of dealing with such outbreaks, but his sei vices
are little in request owing to the ignorance and apathy of the
people; a veterinary hospital in chai'ge of another assistant has
begun to do useful ivork in Mainpuri.
The climate of Mainpuri resembles that of the Duab districts
generally and presents no peculiar features. In the hot weather
the thermometer often rises above 110°E. in' the shade, touching
occasionally 120°, and tho mean temperature for June during the
last three years has been 96-3°, while the corresponding figure
for January has boon 58 G°. The district is liable to severe frosts
in the cold weather, one of the worst on record having occurred
at tho beginning of February 1905, causing widespread damage
to the rabi crop and young plantations and destroying the arluir.
Hailstorms also are of common occurrence in March and April.
During the hot weather tho west wind (generally north of west)
blows constantly and with great violence, imparting an intense
General Fea/twrea.
31
dryness to the atmosphere and rendering possible the almost |
continual use of grass tattis. Duststorms are not infrequent |
during the same period. In the rainy season the prevailing |
wind is from the east. |
Records of the rainfall are available from 1844, and exhibit |
very marked variations. The average fall during the six years |
1844-46 to 1849-60 was only 20-96 inches. Between 18G0 and |
1873 it was 32-1 inches, or 07ily one inch above the district i
average. During the wet decade 1881-!»0, so disastrous to the |
district through floods and waterlogging, the average annual fall |
rose to 34-92, exceeding forty inches in four, of the years, while in |
1886, the year of the Nadrai aqueduct disaster, Bhongaon received ;i
66-96 inches, the highest figure yet recorded in any tahsil. The I
nextten years, from 1891 to 1900, witnessed a return to thenormal ij
with an average of 31-11, the one year of deficit, 1896, when only
14-17 inches were recorded, being compensated by 1894, when the
fall was 43-91. The first eight years of the present century I
have been unusually dry, the heaviest fall being o3-06 inches in
1906, while in 1906 only 13-06 inches were recorded for the i
whole district, and the average for the period was 26-32 inches. ■ |
The fluctuations in the rainfall from year to year are extreme, j
ranging, for the whole district, from 48-3t) inches in 1861 to 11-10 j
inches in 1868 ; but between tahsil and tahsil they are small. i
Shikohabad generally gets a little more and Karhal a little loss '
than the others, but the positions arc not infrequently reversed.
The rains normally begin in June, though of late years they have
often not set in till the beginning of July, and continue till late
in September, rarely lasting into October. The year 1903
afforded a marked exception to this rule, when a heavy fall in
October caused high floods in all the rivers and the civil station
was effectually cut off from the city of Mainpuri for several days
by a deep and dangerous torrent, which swept over the road on
both sides of the bridge, and submerged the eastern half of the
city to a depth of 2 or 3 feet 1867 and 1869 were also abnormal
m; in this respect. OanaMl
r The district compares favourably with most other parts
of the United Provinces in the matter of health. There x
are no diseases peculiar to the district and there are no ^ ^
GAZETTEER OF MAINPURl.
KEFERENCES.
Report on the Settlement of tlie Mainpuri district; by
Messrr?. A. McConaghey and D. M. Smeaton. Allahabad, 1875.
Settlement Report of the Mainpuri district ; by W. J. E.
Lupton, C. S. Allahabad, 1906.
Minute on Talooqdarce Cases by Mr. II. S, Boulderson,
London : Printed for Private Circulation, by Smith, Elder and
Co., Co Cornhill, 1858.
Memoirs on the History; Folklore, and Distribution of the
Races of the North-Western Provinces of India, being an am-
plified edition of tlie original Supplemental Glossary of Indian
Terms, by the late Sir Henry M. Elliot, K.C.B., revised by I.
Beanies, M.R.A.S., Trubiior, 18G0.
Ain-i-Akbari ; edited by H. Bloclimaiin, Calcutta, 1873.
Volumes II and III, by Colonel H. 8. Jarrott, 1896.
The Bangash Nawabs of Farrukhabad, by W. Irvine;
J. A. S, B., 1878 and 1879.
Soir-i-Mutaqherin by Ghulam Husain Khan ; reprint,
Calputta, 1902.
Memoir of the War in India, conducted by General Lord
Lake and Major-General Sir A. Wellesley; by Major W. Thorn,
London, 1818.
Hastings and the Rohilla War, by Sir John Strachey ;
Oxford 1892.
Mutiny Narratives, N.-W. P. ; Allahabad, 1859.
History of the Indian Mutiny, by Sir John Kaye and
Colonel Malleson ; London, 1888.
Tribes and Castes of the N.-W. P. and Oudh, W. Crook ;
Calcutta, 1896.
ABBREVIATIONS.
J. R. A. 8.— Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society.
J. A. S. B.— Journal of the Bengal Asiatic Society.
£. H. I.— The History of India as told by its own Histo-
rians ; by Sir H. M. Elliot.
32
Mainpuri District,
special features which have a bearing on the incidence of
disease.
Vital The vital statistics for the district from 1891 onwards will be
^ * ' found in the appendix. It will be seen that there have
' been considerable variations in l)oth the birth-rate and the death-
rate during the last eighteen years, though the former has, except
in 1897, 1905 and 1908, always kept well ahead of the latter.
This falling off can be explained by the fact that in 1897 there
was a severe outbreak of small-pox in addition to a famine, and
though the district did not suffer as a whole from the scarcity,
yet there was enough distress to unfavourably affect the birth-
rate during the two following years. The birth-rate then rose
suddenly to 50-52 per millc, the highest point it had yet reached,
and did not fall seriously again until 1905, in which year there
was another scarcity, and the plague epidemic was at its worst.
On the whole, Mainpuri compares favourably with other districts 'I
in point of health, the average death-rate for the eighteen years |
since 1891 being 02-:38, ranging from 20-19 in 1893 to 53-70
per mille in 1908. In 1908 the figures were abnormal, the birth-
• rate being only 31-74 and the death-rate rising to as high as
■ • 53‘70 per 1,000 ; the comldned result of high prices and scarcity
on tho one hand, and, on the other, the extremely virulent malaria
epidemic that devastated these and the neighbouring provinces
in the autumn of tho year. It is noticeable that from 1897 on-
wards tho recorded death-rate has been consistently higher than in ^
tho preceding period, never falling below 31 per mille, while before
1897 it had never risen as high as 27 per mille. This high death-
rate has, however, been accompanied by a corresponding high
birth-rate, the average births per mille for the two periods being
34-53 and 38-34. The difference in the two periods is indicative
of previous bad registration.
Fever. Tho principal causes to which the mortality is to be
attributed are .-^hown in Table IV of the Appendix. It will here
bo seen that, as is usual in this country, the vast majority of
deaths are ascribed to fever, and that there has been a marked
increase in tho number of deaths under this head from
’ • 1897 onwards. While there is some reason to believe that the
mortality from fever of the intermittent type has been increased
General Features.
33
by the rise in the water-level which has accompanied the construc-
tion of canals in this district, it is hard to see why this rise in
the death-rate should first manifest itself so long after the first
introduction of canals. The figures for fever are always open to
a certain amount of suspicion. The mortality statistics for the
villages are derived from the reports of the village watchmen,
who are in turn dependent on the information given by the
family of the deceased. As fever is a symptom of a very largo
number of diseases, many of which are not easy of diagnosis even
for e.xperts, it is extremely probable that a large proportion of the
deaths which are attributed to fever in the mortality statistics
ought to be classified under other heads. The mortality
from fever reached its climax in 1908, when 41,749 deaths were
ascribed to this cause, and though the numbers have fluctuated a
good deal before then they have never exceeded 25,000, except in
1899.
Cholera is not as common in this district as in many others,
the average mortality from this cause during the last 18 years
being only 187, while but for two severe epidemics in 1892 and
1894 the figure would be very much lower. In the former year
no less than 1,150 deaths were duo to this cause, and in the latter
year 752. Other epidemics of a less serious character occurred
in 1901 and 1903, while in the intervening year the district was
almost free from cholera, only 3 persons falling victims to it. In
1898 no deaths at all were recorded from cholera, and only one
death in each of the years 1899 and 1905. Outbreaks of cholera
have usually been traceable to bad sanitation, coupled as a rule
with a dry season, the highest mortality being reached towards
the end of the rains.
Mainpuri is generally fairly free from small-pox. In only
three years out of the last eighteen have the deaths from this
cause exceeded 65, while between 1898 and 1902 it was almost
unknown. In 1896 and 1897 however there wore serious epidemics
of the disease, 1,377 persons perishing in the first and 1,699 in the
second year. Another less severe epidemic occurred in 1906,
when 499 persons died. The comparative immunity now enjoyed
by the district from this scourge is undoubtedly due to the
spread of vaccination, some 26,000 persons being as a Jide
3
Cholera.
!
Small-pox.
CHAPTER I.
Gkxkkal Features.
Mainpuri, a district of the Agra division, is hoiindod on tho
North by the Etah district, on tho East l)y Farrukhabad, on the
South by Etawah and Agra, and on th(3 West by the districts of
Agra and Etah. It lies botwoon North latitude 26° 53' to
27° 31' and East longitude 78° 27' to 79° 26'. The area of
the district in 1899 was 1,071,969 acres, or 1,674*95 square
miles, and the population in 1901 numbered 829,357 persons,
or 496 to the square mile. Of those 781,210 wore Hindus, 47,794
Musalmans, and 353 Christians. The average length of tho
district is about 56 miles, and the breadth varies from about 42
to 18 miles, the average being about 33 miles. Of the total area
590,434 acres, or 55*08 per cent., are cultivated, and 145,068 acres
(including 17,573 acres under groves), or 13*53 per cent., are
culturable. The boundaries have varied considerably from time
to time owing to changes which will be described in Chapter IV.
The district generally presents the apj>earance of an exten-
sive level plain broken only by the sand ridges on the western
border, the rolling sand hills and undulations of tho Kali and
Tsan rivers, and the ravines along the Jamna to tho south-west.
The Kali Nadi forms tho boundary of this plain on tho north
and north-east and the Jamna encloses it on the south-west.
Both these rivers flow towards the south-east, and between them,
in almost parallel courses, run the four smaller streams, the Isaii,
the Arind, the Sengar, and the Sirsa, following tho general slope
of the country from north-west to south-east. Taking the
district from north to south, tho average fall of the rivers, exclud-
ing the Jamna, is 1*5 feet per mile, and the average slope of the
surface of the country is 1*2 feet per mile. A line of levels
taken across the district from the Jamna to the Kali shows that
the watersheds of the streams running through it at the point of
intersection are almost exactly the same height abdve the level
1
Bound*
arios and
Area.
Topogra-
phy.
34
Mainpuri District.
Plague.
Other dis-
eased*
vaccinated every year. A very considerable proportion of the
population is now protected and every epidemic of the disease
whicli occurs is of gradually decreasing virulence.
The first death from plague occurred in' April 1903 at
Shikohabad, an’ imported case. Two deaths occurred a month later
at Karhal, and two more in December of that year at Shikoh-
abad. Tn 1904, 155 villages and towns were affected with a
total mortality of 2,33 1, the disease seeming fo spread from the
Ktawah direction along the main lines of communication, and
having little effect on out-of-the-way tracts. In 1905 the
epidemic readied its height, spreading to 1,077 out of a total of
1,388 villages in the district, and attacking every part of it, and
the mortality rose to_10,886. In 1900 tlicro was a decline, the
disease seeming to have spent itself temporarily, as only 12
villages in the north of the district suffered with 172 deaths, and
in the next two years, 1907 and 1908, the deaths were below 1,000,
the north of the district again being the worst affected. The
history of the epidemic shows that it originated in the south
along the railway liiu^, being imiiorted by refugees from infected
districts. The spread of the disease was rapid and general over
the whole district, but in the fourth year it liogan to abate, those
parts which wore first affected being the first to recover. In the
following year it was almost extinguished, and though it has once
more begun to increase in virulence it has done so much more
slowly than on its first introduction. 'I’ho obvious inference is
that the population together wdth rats which a’-o the vehicles of
the disease wore botii or either immunised by some natural pro-
cess. Artificial means of combating jdague were resorted to
here, as elsewhere, with little success, chiefly owing to the apathy
of the people towards rat killing and inoculation, but as a nile
the villagers recognise the value of evacuation and generally
practise it. The epidemic is confined to the first four or five
months of the year, though during the early part of the cold
weather isolated mild cases occur among human beings, and a
few rats die in places.
Dysentery and bowel complaints are common diseases in
the district, much more so than would appear from the statistics
in the Appendix, and are responsible for a considerable number
2
Mainpuri Vistnct,
Ldvels.
of tho sea. The highest point in the district is only 139 feet
above tho lowest.
Levels aro extromcly important in a canal district like
Mainpuri and ai*c constantly referred to by the Canal Engi-
neers, who have tlioir own private beiicli-marks, generally
tho mile- stones along tho main canals. ^Fho main bench-
marks aro tho Grand Trigonometvi(‘al Survey bench-marks.
The one at Ghiror at tho corner of tho (iliiror canal inspection
house in tlio Etawah canal division is marked /527*29 above tho
sea, and on the top of tho north-western wall of tho Ghiror Canal
bridge is another such mark showing 5oi*23 feet. In tho llaragaon
village in Mustafal'ad pargana is a third, showing 573*3 feet.
At Mainpuri opposite tho entriinco of tlic jail two paces inside
of tho LouJidary is a fourth with 5.1 1 feet. In the IMainpuri
Canal division, Jiewar branch, tho bridges are used as bench-marks
as a rule. The only Grand Trigonometrical Survey mark in this
division is one at Siughpur on the Etawah road with 517*83 feet,
situated near tho south-east corner of the canal chaiblci There
aro no Grand Trigonometrical Survey bcncli-iiiarks on tho Bhog-
nipui* or Aligarh branches, and only one in tho Cawiipore
division, at Bainnagar, two paces from the south-east corner of the
Tarha Canal chaiiki on tho Cawnporo branch ; height 494*31 feet. '
Tho East Indian Bail way has bench-marks at railway stations
on tho Earrukhabad , branch with reduced levels as follows
Shikohabad, on the well south of tho lino 1,300 feet from tho
conti’o of tho Shikoluibad station towards Earrukhabad, 532*65 ;
Araoii, on pillar 200 Let north of tho lino 100 feet on tho Shiko-
habad sido of 1st span of G feet girder at the Shikohabad end of
tho station yard, 518*16 ; Araoii, on parapet of culvert at the
Earrukhabad end of tho station, 523*01 ; Kosma, centre of station,
80 feet south, 517*41 ; Mainpuri, on boundary pillar to the north
at the centre of tho station, 510*92; Mainpuri, on furlong post
no. 2 to the south, 300 feet on the Shikohabad side of the bridge
of 2 spans of 28 feet over the Sathni Ealippur drain, 510*64;
Bhougaou, stone no. 8 to the south at tho Earrukhabad end of
the station yard, 506*62 ; Mota, no. 7 mile post to tho north, 100
feet beyond the girder of one span of 12 feet, 700 feet beyond
the Earrukhabad end of the station yard; 504*52.
General Features,
of deaths every year. It is probable that much of the mortality
which is really due to them is wrongly attributed to fever.
Phthisis, tubercular diseases, and inflammatory diseases of the
eye, especially that form known as granular eyelids, are not
uncommon.
Statistics of infirmities are collected at every census, but they
are not of very much value, as it is almost impossible to check
their accuracy, and the reporting agency is not of a character to
inspire great confidence in its diagnosis of insanity. According
to the census of lUOi, the total number of afflicted persons in
the district was 1,758, only seven districts returning a smaller
total. As usual everywhere but in Bundelkhand, the number of
males sufiering from infirmities far exceeded that of females, the
respective totals being 1,070 and (388. The discrepancy is
probably due to concealment. Only 79 persons were reported
insane, of whom GO were males. Lepers also were few in number,
only 73 being returned, of whom all but 9 wore males. Deaf
mutes numbered 2G1 and blind people 1,342, females in this case
'more nearly approximating to the males and amounting to over
43 per cent, of the whole.
Infirm
ities.
Gene'i^al Featured,
3
Generally speaking the soils of the district are typical of those Soils,
found elsewhere in the Iiido-Gangetic plain, and are classified on
two principles according as the distinctions recognised arc natural
or artificial. Both are well understood and commonly employed
by the cultivator. Of the natural divisions hhur is the narao of
the soil containing a largo proportion of sand, while matiyar is
the name of that containing a large proportion of clay, and be-
tween these t^vo extremes is a loamy soil called diimat having clay
and sand more evenly divided as its name implies. A lighter soil
than d'umat is known as coming between dumat and
hhur. The distribution of tliose soils appears to bo connected
with the rapidity of the drainage of surface water from the almost
flat alluvial plain, for gaud is found wherever there is u river with
a comparatively deep bed wdthin a few miles, and clay is common-
est near swamps and other ill- defined drainage lines, and it is
manifest that the liner particles of clay having a low inertia are
washed out of the higher tracts into the depressions and deposited
under favourable circumstances, but where the drainage is too
fast to permit of their being deposited they are carried down.
On the whole the district, lying as it does midway down the Duab,
is typical of the Duab and contains an average proportion of
the clay and sandy soils. The barren soil known as near is
found at the heads and partly down the courses of the smaller
rivers such as the Ahnaiya and Puraha, the Seiigar and Arind,
and the numerous minor streams, and appears to bo a clayey
deposit too compact to permit of cultivation and in places too
impregnated with reh and other deleterious mineral substances to
permit of the growth of even grass.
Of the four natural soils excluding usav^ imtiyar is a stiff, JHatijfar,
unyielding clay of a dark colour, shrinking and cracking in
dry weather into a network of fissures, but expanding when
moistened into a sticky clayey mass. It is usually found near
usav and jkile and generally wherever water collects, having
an immense capacity for absorbing and retaining moisture, of
w^hich it can hold more than twice its own weight. If the rain-
fall be either excessive or deficient matiyar can scarcely be
cultivated at all, the plastic adhesive clay rolling back from the
clogged plough into its old position in the one cose, while in
I
Cultivated
area.
CHAPTER II.
Agricultuee and Commerce.
The agricultural history of the district exhibits very
marked fluctuations from period to period in the area under cul-
tivation. At the settlement of 1876 the cultivated area was found
to be 609,642 acres, no less than 94,746 acres in excess of the area
recorded at the previous settlement. During the next thirty
years, however, the district underwent somewhat violent vicissi-
tudes of fortune, and in 1885-86 the area under the ’plough had
sunk to 674,853 acres, a diminution of nearly 6 per cent, j l)y
1890-1 it had further dwindled to 554,642 acres or nearly 9 per
cent, loss ; while at the recent settlement it had risen to 590,435
acres, or still 3 per cent, below the figures of the last settle^
ment. The present area, which represents 55*08 per cent, of the
total area of the district, may probably be taken to be about the
normal, that recorded at the last settlement having been
attained only at the culmination of a long series oE favourable
seasons, and never readied before or since. The remarkable
variations in the period intervening between the two settlements
are accounted for by a number of serious agricultural calamities
and pests. Kans grass was rife in tlie northern bhur tract even
at the last settlement, and a continuous spread of its growth was
noticed in subsequent years till it finally culminated in a
terrific outburst in the wet seasons between 1885 and 1890,
reducing, in the latter year, the cultivated area in the bhur circles
of Bhongaon and Mainpuri by over 30 per cent. The valuable
alluvial tract of the Kali Nadi khadir had not had time fully to
recover from damage and deterioration caused by floods, when,
in 1885, it was devastated in overwhelming fashion by the;
disastrous Nadrai aqueduct flood which tore along the valley in ?
a broad, high wall of water, causing immense damage both to life
and property. One effect of this flood was to damage part of
this khadir more or less permanently by a deposit of sand, while i
4
Mainpiiri DistricU
Bhur.
Burnai
and P»/ta.
the other the surface^ of the temper and consistency of baked
bricks^ defies the utmost efforts of the husbandman to break it
up. In favourable circumstances mMiya/r will bear good crops
of rice, and can be utilized for the rabi, but its worst quality,
generally known as maiyar or Jcabar, is a miserable soil capable
only of producing the poorest rice and a scanty crop of barley.
The second natural soil is hhur, which is in all respects the
opposite of matiyavj being loose and sandy, and quite incapable
of retaining moisture. Both are extremes, the one is compact
and hard, the other loose and yielding; the one hoards its
moisture and manure miserly, the other spends is thriftlessly.
Bhur can bo ploughed at all seasons with little labour and
rapidly absorbs the rainfall, allowing it to drain to the subsoil
beneath. Bibth is the name given to bhur where it runs
in uneven ridges above the level of the surrounding country. In
the sandy circles of pargana Kuraoli there is a peculiar soil
resembling, but easily distinguished from, hlmT^ which is known
as tikuriya. It is harder and redder than bJmr and though occur-
ring oftenost in sandy tracts is also to ))o found with dumcnt.
Its characteristic qualities are its power of absorbing a great
quantity of water without injury to its productivity, and the
rapidity with which it dries up. It has, on the other hand, the
disadvantage of requiring more water, and where two waterings
will suffice for bhur, three will bo required for duniat, and four
for tikikriya.
Neither hhv/r nor matiyar possess the characteristics of
really good soils, and the maximum of productiveness is found
in the soils which combine, in moderate proportions, the qualities
of the two. These are the loams, dumat and pilia or pira, >vhich
form the remaining two natural soil divisions. Durndt, as its
name implies, comprises sand and clay in almost equal proportions,
while in pilkt the sand somewhat predominates. Both insen-
sibly merge into one another, but the worst dimat can always
be readily distinguished from the best pilia* The former is
generally of a rich brownish colour, adhesive without tenacity,
friable without looseness, slippery and greasy when wet, and
with a soapy feeling when dry, and cutting like a cheese when
ploughed wet. The piln, as its name shows, is of a yellowidi
Agriculture and Commerce, 37
a series of abnormally wet years following kept the whole in the
state of a reeking, useless morass. These wet years also caused
much damage throughout the rest of the district by waterlogging,
which was aggravated in parts of Shikoliabad and Mustafabad by
the opening of the new llliognipur canal without the accompaniment
of a proper contemporaneous system of drainage, thus giving rise
to excessive subsurface percolation in the Uglit sandy soil of this
tract.
As has already been stated, the area of the district which is fit
for but not under the plough amounts to 146,0G8 acres or 13*58
per cent, of the whole. This shows, as might be expected, a material
increase since the last settlement. But the proportion is not
really a very high one, and in this respect the district will stand
a comparison with its neighl)Our8. For the cuUurablc waste
includes the land under groves and both old and now fallow as
well as that wliich though capable of being cultivated has been
left untouched. Both groves and now fallow should properly be
deducted from the total, as the former can scarcely be classified
as waste, and the latter is only temporarily out of cultivation
owing to the necessary rotation of crops. The exclusion of the
areas under these two heads reduces the total figure by nearly
one-fouvth, and leaves 54,867 acres of waste land, and 54,549
acres of old fallow. The agricultural history of the district
shows that a certain amount of the latter might bo again brought
into cultivation, but it is extremely doubtful whether any of the
former, which is probably land of very poor quality, would repay
the cost of tillage.
The methods of cultivation employed in the district are the
immemorial ones common to the provinces in general, and few
or no improvements have been introduced among a peasantry
that prefers the inherited experience of centuries to any novelty
grounded on uncomprehended theories. The cultivator of Main-
puri still uses the same simple plough, the same hoe, the same harrow
as his ancestors. He prepares his ground in the same way,
sows it as bis father did before him, with an equal indifference
to the quality of the seed, and varies his crop from year to year
in the order prescribed by an inflexible tradition. The recently
founded Krishi Sabha (Agricultural Association) of Mainpuri
Cultur-
ablo
Waste.
Cultiva-
tion.
Omeral Featwres,
S
colour. A mixture of dmrnt and sand, found in Kuraoli, is
there called milauna, and the red sand underlying the water-
shed between the Isan and the Kali is known as Jeabsa.
The artificial division of soils is based on their position
in relation to the village site. The belt immediately surround-
ing the village site, which is always well manured and highly
cultivated, is known as gauhem or bara and pays the highest
rent. The next strip, which shares to a less degree in the same
advantages, is called manjlirty while the outlying lands are
termed barha.
Soils are further classified according to their position as
hangar, or upland, and taraly the low-lying alluvial strip along
the river valleys. In the Jamna ravine tract there is a further
local subdivision into (1) the loparluir or land on the plateau
level of the rest of the district, (2) the behar, or ravines proper,
where are found some inferior soils known as jhori and danda;
and (3) the kachkar and tir soils alongside the stream nnd the
bfiagm or old bed of the river.
The character and quality of the local drainage exercises,
as mentioned above, a considerable influence upon the quality
and distribution of these soils. The Isan, up to its junction
with the Kaknadi, flows slowly in a shallow bed, but after that
the bed deepens, the current grows stronger, and the volume
increases. Similarly, the Sengar, up to its junction with the
Senhar, is a sluggish stream ; but after receiving its tributary,
it becomes a rapid river, flowing through a deep and well-
defined bed. The Arind is always slow, shallow and winding,
and the Sirsa varies very littlo in its course. Parallel to
these rivers, and with the same direction, are the three great soil
tracts ; the northern sand tract between the Isan and the Kali ;
the central loam tract between the Isan and Kaknadi on the
north, and the Sirsa on the south ; and the southern mixed tract
between the Sirsa and the Jamna.
From the thin strips of alluvial land forming the bed of the
Kali, on the east of the district, the surface of the country rises
rapidly to a line of barren sandy mounds and hollows. A
strip of level country then intervenes for a short distance before
the descent to the Isan is reached. The slope is gradual here, for
The great
soil
traotg.
Theiaady
tract.
38
Mainpu/ri District
Agrioul
tural
Opera-
tions*
has, however, begun to make headway with the aid of the Agri-
cultural department towards improvements, particularly with
regard to implements, water lifts, and selection of seed. The
plough, called kal as cdsewhere, and the henga or harrow, are of
the ordinary pattern, the former sometimes having attached to it
the drill or httns. In swampy land a heavy roller called the
patela or sohagu, generally made from a large log of khajur, is
used for breaking up the clods. Wlicre tobvieeo is grown, a broom,
made of cotton twigs, called ^ is employed to distribute
the seed. Other common implements are the phaora or large
hoe, the kudra, or |)ick, the khudarl, or adze, and the hasua, or
sickle.
The harvests are known by the ordinary names of kharif, ^
rabi, and z(fykL The last named consists chiefly of melons and
the like grown on the sandy banks of the Isan in the vicinity of '■
the city of Mainpuri, but though the industry is a profitable one
the figures l)ulk small, amounting to only one-half per cent,
in the total. In the district as a whole the rnbi and khar%f
crops are roughly e(iual, and seventeen per (^ent. of the total
cultivated area is double-cropped.
For the kkarij the land is usually ploughed throe or four
times, and for the r((bi from ten to fifteen times. An average
pair of bullocks will plough about one-half an acre in a day, and
as a rule there are about 4 acres of rcfbly and 2 to 2 J acres of
kharif\ witli one acre for dofasll crops, kept in cultivation by
one plough. The kharif crops are known locally as sayari,
rabi crops if unirrigated as sahiriya, and if irrigated as bharai,
while the do fasti crops are called dosare. Rotation of crops is
well understood and regularly employed. Arhar is sown with
all kharif i^TO^s on good land, but nOt usually on sandy soil, as
it is there easily injured by frost, and requires watering to save it.
Cotton is sown before all the other kharif crops, except maize,
which is usually sown before the rain falls. Caraway, chaina,
marua and rice are supposed to exhaust a field ; bajra and juar
also make it less productive, but it can be restored by manure. '
Barley does not spoil the soil for kharif crops, but wheat injures
it and renders manure necessary. Sugarcane improves the land
for wheat in the following year, but no kharif can be sown after
6
Mainpun District,
The loam
tract.
tho bed of the Isan at a distance of from four to six miles from
the watershed between tho rivers is at a higher level than the bed
of the Kali Nadi at a distance of two to throe miles. The
characteristics of this Kali-Isan duah are the preponderance of
sand ill the soil, the scantiness of irrigation, and tho consequent
difliculties in seasons of drought. But it is not uniform in
appearance- or quality and contains much loam in the northern
■ part. If a lino be drawn from Bhongaon to the edge of the
district beyond Akbarpur Auncha, and another lino from'
. Kuraoli to tho same point, iheso lines, with the Grand Trunk
road as their base, enclose a triangular tract in which loam with
jhils and dhak (BiUea frondosa) jungle continually appear. To
the north-east of tho Grand Trunk road and between Kuraoli
and Bhongaon there is a disti’nct band of loam, about two miles
in breadth. The drifting sand runs in two ridges along the
banks of the Kali and Isan, and continues along the Kaknadi
from tho point of bifurcation at Gopalpur, These ridges gra-
duaMy intermingle w’ith the plain between the river valleys, and
as the distance between tho rivers iucroases tho character of
tho soil improves. Thus, in tho centre and western portions of
the small pargana of Bowar and tho portion of Bhongaon imme-
diately to the soutli, where tho Kali and tho Isan approach one
another more nearly than elsewhere, the sand ridges are exten-
sive and tho level plain between them is restricted in area and
light in soil. On the other hand, between Kuraoli and Bhon-
gaon, where the distance between tho two rivers is doubled, the
intervening level plain spreads out, and, as noted above, con-
tains considerable patches of loam.
The second or loam tract comprises the entire country
between the Isan and tho Sengar, extending in many places across
the Sengar to tho Sirsa. The country intersected by the A rind
is of the same character. In tho south-east the transition from
sand to loam is somewhat gradual, a little mixed soil being found
where tho sandy belt along the Isan mingles with tho loam. With
this exception and the appearance of tho mixed features of the'‘
southern tract along the upper course of the Sengar, there is
little else besides loam and clay wdth tosar the concomitant of clay
in this loamy tract, which comprises the southern halves of
AgrieuUwe and Gomifnerce.
39
j it. The usual rotation is to growrffi6j. crops one year and kharif |
the next year, but in gauhani land, the rich strip round the =
I village site, maize, sown in Asarh, can bo followed by wheat or |
barley in Kartik, and juar, sown at the end of Asarh, can bo |
succeeded by barley in the if the land bo manured. Land |
intended for cotton and maize requires from two to five plough -
ings ; for juar and bajra from one to five ploughings. But as a
rule the more the soil is pvdvt.'risod and mixed, the less expense
there will be for weeding. Indeed, such are the advantages to j
be derived from frequent ploughing, that if the soil bo ploughed
for the kharif, in Phagun and Chait, no manure will bo necessary i
except for sugarcane. The quantity of seed required varies
considerably with the crop to be sown : half a aer of bajra .
being sufficient to sow one kachcha bigha, while for the i
same area ouo srr of juar, tiioth, rausa, urd, mung, chaina,
kw'i and cotton are needed. If maize or indigo are to bo !
sown, 1 J to sera will be wanted ; if til, 1 chitak; if ear son or
duan i aer ; if aan 4 aera ; and if potato, 60 to 80 sers. Jwar
and bajra seed are sometimes merely scattered over the surface
of the land and afterwards ploughed in. As a general rule, crops
sown ill matiyar require four waterings; in first-class dumat,
three ; in second class dumat, two ; in bhur, one or two ; and in
pira or tikuriya, five. Wheat has to be watered from three to
six times, according to the variety and the soil, and barley needs
■i one watering less than wheat. Gram sometimes gets one water-
ing in matiyar, but, as a rule, none is given. Between the time
of sowing sugarcane and the rains, the crop requires from eight
to ten waterings, and from one to three afterwards, according as
the rains are late or early.
Manure is highly prized, and is always used where procur-
able. But, as usual, the cattle droppings, which ought to return
to the land, are made up into the cakes called uplaa and used as
fuel, owing to the scarcity of wood, and no means are employed
to store manure of any kind so as to preserve its quality. Ashes,
stable litter and refuse are all made use of to supplement the
inadequate residue of cowdung, and the leaves of certain crops,
such as hemp, cotton, indigo and tobacco afford a valuable leaf-
manure sufficient, when ploughed in, to prepare the soil for aoy
General Features.
parganas Kishni-Naliigaiij and Bhongaon, tho whole of Karhal,
the northern corner of Bariiahal, the whole of Ghiror, the greater
part of Mainpnri, the southern corner of Kuraoli, tho whole of
Mustafahad, and a great slice of tho northern portion of Shikoli-
ahad. This central region stretches from east to west in one
unbroken expanse of high cultivation or absolutely I'arren
iisctr plains, and hears on its culturablo areas luxuriant crops
under copious irrigation culminating in tho IMustafahad pargana,
in which all advantages, natural and artificial, are found
combined in a rcmarka])lo manner. From tlio junction of the
Songar witli the 8onliar, lioweviir, tho firm loam yields to a light
soil, which hero and there breaks out into sand ridges, cuts into
the surrounding country widening as it goes on, until, on nearing
tho Etawah frontier, tlio gradually narrowing tongue of loam and
usar disappears, and merges into the southern tract. Tho central
and northern portions of tho loamy tract an; cov<Tod with j/ulSf
and there is a considorahlo amount of jungle in tho extreme
south-west. Pargana Ghiror cspc(‘ially has great strclch(;s of
usar which, in tho rains, hccomc sheets of wat(;r. Tho water
deepens in pargana Karlial, forming jhlls and marshes, and
further in the south-east of Bhongaon, Xishni-Xahiganj, and
Karhal, there are groups ol jhlU many of wliich are always filled
with water. It is hero that tho largo dhah jungles are found.
The entire tract is singularly fr(;o from sand. In Mustafahad,
however, one lino of sand runs almost due north and south and
can easily be traced from the borders of tho Firozahad pargana
through Mustafabacl and Shikohabad until it merges in the Jamna
ravines. It is considerably above the level of tho surrounding
country, rises rather abruptly from it, and tho line of demarca-
tion between its soil and tho loam on cither side is clearly
marked. It appears to have no connection with tho country
through which it passes, differing in this respect from the sand
ridges on tho Kali and Isan wliich grtwlually merge into the
adjoining loam. A similar though smaller ridge adjoins it on the
east. The soil to tho north of Shikohabad resembles that of Mus-
tafabad, and stiff loam and large ^isar plains abound. High
hliwr tracts occur especially in belts running .parallel to the
Sengar and near its banks, and there the soil is poor and ita
Mainpuri District,
MM
crops.
Wheats
crop bui; sugarcane. Nuna matti, a kind of clay saturated
with ammonia and phosphates procured from village sites, is
spread upon the land along with ordinary manure for both
tobacco and caraway. The quantity of manure which experience
has shown to be really requisite is considerable, and very
much in excess of the possible supply from the scanty resources
of the village. For the majority of crops, not less than
a ton is needed to the hichcha higha, while for sugarcane the
minimum is half as much again. The only portion of the
village lauds that is over at all sufficiently manured is the narrow
bolt which immediately encircles the inhal)ited site. A prejudice
still prevails against the employment of the night soil from the
large towns, and there is only a small demand for it among the
Kachhis and Lodhas for use in the suburban melon beds and
vegetable gardens.
Statistics of the principal crops grown in each tahsil will bo
found in the a])pendix. A remarkable feature of the crop history
of the district during the last thirty years has boon the groat
development of the system of double cropping and mixed cro])-
ping. The former is no doubt largely due to the influence of
the canals and the latter may be a sign of inferior cultivation.
The area from which two crops were taken in the year was, at
the last settlement, 7 per cent, of the whole. It is now 17 per
cent. Formerly cotton, jioar and hajra wore almost univer-
sally grown by themselves. Now they are scarcely grown at
all except in conjunction with arhar. The presence of a largo
proportion of the leguminous nitrogen-producing crops in both
the hharif rahi counteracts the exhausting of the soil due to
cereals and millets and the double or oven treble cropping M’hich
an increasing number of fields are now called upon to bear.
The outturn of the principal crops per acre as shown by
crop-cutting experiments is as follows: — Wheat 11^ maunds,
barley 18f maunds, gram 5 maunds, sugarcane 35J maunds.
The figure for gram is slightly below and of sugarcane slightly
above the normal of the district.
The principal rabi crop is wheat, comprising when sowi^
alone and in combination with other crops more than half the
total rabi area. By itself it occupies an average area of 112,231
Ma^'pwri BUtfid*
surface is often uneven and broken with ravines. The prevailing
characteristic soil is, however, a light but rich yellow loam form-
ing a kind of mean between pure loam and sand. It is much
superior to sand and but little inferior to natural loam.
South of the central tract lies the tract of mixed soils
situated between the Sirsa and the Jamna which comprises a
mixture of sand and loam in a proportion not found elsewhere.
The southern portion of this tract is distinguished from the
northern by a firmer and more fertile soil and a greater uni-
formity in the surface. It is again distinguished from the central
tract by a greater admixture of sand, a smaller proportion of
well irrigation^ a loss high class of cultivation, and the absence
of uBOr and marsh. As the Sirsa is approached from the north,
VtSar almost entirely disappear» and a uniform plain of high
cultivation is reached. About two miles to the south of the
Sirsa the land becomes less fertile, %imr is unknown, and there
are few ;Ms of any size. Close to the town of Shikohabad the soil
is the finest loam of a light colour (pira), more friable and
easily worked than the loam proper, and very fertile. Water is
found at from 25 to 45 feet from the surface, and the substratum
is firm and the spring habitually reached. To the south of the
Sirsa the •pira tract is lighter, irrigation grows scanty, the water
level sinks rapidly until the Jamna ravine division is met, where
it is found at from 80 to 100 feet below the surface. Here, owing
to the depth of the water-level, the broken nature of the surface
and the gritty character of the soil, cultivation is sparse and
irrigation almost impossible. To the south of the ravines, on
the banks of the river, is found the valuable alluvial soil known
as kachhnry and a similarly fertile strip running through the
ravines of Orawar is known as hhagna.
On the whole therefore the soil of the district is good with a
predominance of loam. With the loam there is intermixed, as
usual, a great proportion of usavy but being absolutely barren
it does not tempt any one to eke out a precarious livelihood, while
it is useful as grazing ground. The sandy tracts which stretch
from the Ganges westwards over the neighbouring districts of
Etah and Farrukhabad run only a short way into this district,
and on the other hand it is separated, for the most part, from the
AgricvltVire and Commerce,
41
I
i
acres, and in combination with barley and gram 167,233 acres.
The proportion is remarkably constant throughout the district,
the percentage of land sown with wheat and mixed wheat, barley
and gram, to the total rabi area being, in the Mainpuri tahsil,
74 per eent., in Bhongaon, 79 per cent., in Shikohabad, 83 per
cent., in Mustafabad, 72 percent., and in Karhal / 7 per cent.
Several well-established varieties of wheat are grown in the
district, but as a rule they arc all grown together iiidiscrimi-
natoly in the same field, no attempt to sort the seed being made
either by the bania who advances it or the cultivator who
sows it. The most important arc swt mariya, a reddish grain
without awns ; stt'fc reddish but awned; snfed mai iyn,
white and awuloss; safed tikniri, white and awiied; and the
awned and awnless varieties of httiya or red wheat proper and
samhariya. The first two have a white grain ; they require
three waterings, yield most produee, and sell at about one nfr
to the rupee higher than the others. Similar to these and next
in value come the second two; the safed mariya in particular
gives a largo return, but requires plenty of water (four or five
waterings) and is chiefly grown by Lodhas and Kachhis. The
httiya is the hardiest of all and the most productive, but is only
third in value, and both the grain and the flour are of a reddish
colour. The grain of the samhariya is longer than that of
the ordinary wheat, and is more common in Bah Banahat, on the
right bank of the Jamna. Next to wheat in importaneo in tl.o
rabi programme comes barley, a considerable amount of which is
grown alone in addition to that which is sown along with wheat,
gram and other crops. At the recent settlement, in the year of
verification, 36,171 acres were found to bo under barley, nearly
6,000 acres in excess of the previous five years’ average. Of
this area 12,307 acres were situated in the Mustafabad tahsil,
where barley sown alone formed 20 per cent, of the total crop.
The next highest percentage was in Mainpuri, where 11 ixir cent,
of the tahsil was occupied by barley. In the others the
percentage was just under or just over 8 per cent. The cul-
tivation of the poppy made until recently very great strides
in Mainpuri, the area under this plant having increased
from 2,091 acres in 1376 to 27,369 acres in 1906, though for
General Feaiwfee.
9
broad belt of sand which runs along the Jamna further west.
Moreover, throughout the district irrigation from wells or canals
is easily obtainable and tolerably certain.
The Jamna, which flows along the south-western boundary
of the district, is its largest and at the same time its most
interesting river. Its course is in a general direction
towards the south-east, a distance of 18 miles in a straight line,
but with its bonds the river covers 43 miles : in fact its course hero
and further west over the Agra border is much more winding
than that of any other largo river in the provinces. Compared
with the country further down its course, that through which
it flows here is soft and sandy and liable to erosion, from which
cause no doubt has arisen its sinuosity. Having established,
however, a winding channel, and thereby reduced its own
velocity, it tends to remain permanently in its course, and
sudden changes, moreover, are hindered by its depth below the
general alluvial plateau on either side. Still &uch changes are
possible, and have actually taken place at at least three points, and
bends of the river have been cut off and loft silted and dry. Of
these diversions the most important is that at Orawar and
Punchha, 9 miles in length ; anotlior is in Pariyar, 4 miles in
length ; and the third, in the Agra district, between Batesar and
Narangi Bah, is about three miles long. Close to Harha there is a
loop of the river 9 miles in length comprising three villages in
the Mainpuri district, which are doomed to lie cut off sooner or
later, when the river has worn through the narrow neck of land
connecting them with the left bank. The neck of land contains
only 100 yards of high ground with a maximum height of 20
feet above the high flood level, and any extraordinary flood
would precipitate matters. Should this occur the town of Batesar
lying at the bottom of the loop with its bathing ghats and temples
would be left at least three miles from the river. A similar bend
on the right bank near the village of Dandauli would transfer a
large area to the Mainpuri side should the river break through at
its narrowest point. Apart from its winding nature the bed of the
Jamna at this point has sunk much lower below the surface of
the alluvial plain than the Ganges, one reason no doubt being
its longer course from its debouchment from the bills to its
Biyen.
The
JamnSb
42
Mainpiiri. District.
1907 and 1908 the figures were 19,965 and 14,750, respectively,
showing the effect of high pri<;es of wheat comj_%eting to the
detriment of i\w. poppy area. This enormous rise is duo to
the ('anals, which supply the plentiful Mater required for the
successiiil culture of the plant. Gram is not grown to a very
large extent hy itself, only accounting for 11,325 acres, a figure
differing hut little from that at M^hich it stood at the former
settlement. To))a(*(*o and potatoes, Mdiich at the last settlement
covered only 73 acres, noM^ occupy 2,250, a thirty-fold increase;
and other garden crops have risen from 533 to 2,836 acres.
There is a growing demand for potatoes and cauliflowers, the
fashio]! having sj)read from Farrukhabad. Mustard, rape, peas
and the other usual minor rcthi crops are not groMui by them-
S(4ves and for them no separate statisti(;8 arc available.
l>y far the largest part of the lcli(f/rlf harvest consists of
jibicr and hifjra^ groM ii primdpally together and in combination
with arhdr, in the year of verification no less than 151,042
acres out ol the kinfri f total of 347,552 acres M’ere found to be
under this mixed crop, while 15,384 and 22,204 acres of th(j
remaindm* Mere taken uj) by Inijra and ju(f}\ resp(jctively, grown
by themselves. The iiu'reased popularity of the practice of
mixed cropping has already l)een commented on, and in this
connection the figures of the last settlement are of great interest,
for th(‘y ]>rove that the area somui with this combination of
grains lias lieen multiplied nearly a hundred-fold in the last
thirty years, though the total area under baj'^'ct and juar has
diminished by nearly 9,000 acres. With the exception of
Shikohabad, M’here 66 per cent, of the khdrif area is taken up
by these millets, either singly or along with arfiar, there is little
variation in 'the prujiortion throughout the district, all the other
tahsils showing a percentage of rather over 50 per cent. The
crop next in importan(*e to the millets, both as a food staple
and in regard to the quantity produced, is maize, and the extent
to which its cultivation has increased of late years is, in this
as in so many other districts, one of the most notable features
of agricultural history. It noM" covers 60,048 acres as against
16,448 acres at the last settlement. Cotton is another crop
which illustrates the present tendency to combine crops instead
10
Mainp^ri DistrioL
confluence with tlio Ganges. Having on this account a lesser
gradient than the Ganges, it follows that its greatest depth below
the Ganges must be at a point about midway between Allahabad
and the Siwaliks, ])rovided that the gradient is uniform and the
level of ('ach at the Siwaliks is about the same. The Jamna, too,
differs from the Ganges in that its volume is fed by the sudden
floods of tlio Central Indian rivers, and these must have scoured
out its bed deeply. Tlio lianks rise in some ]>laces abruptly to a
height of eighty or a hundred feet, leaving at their base barely
room for a narro^v In-okon footway above the stream, and
again in other places they rise gradually upwards and leave
room for fertile expanses half a mile or more in width of
alluvial land, known as hfchhar, and occasional lieds of
sand. The h ichhar land is submerged only at times of excep-
tional floods, but produces luxuriant crops without irrigation.
From the top of the bank the ravines stretch from a quarter
of a mile to a mile inland. They are almost entirely void
of cultivation, but afford good jiasturago to cattle, U'hich
are kept in groat numiiors by the tribe of Phaiak Ahirs, who
settled hero some c;3nturio3 ago. Hlmilar to the havlihar hut of
greater fertility is the old river bed called hharjna winding
through the ravines of Piinehlia, Orawar and Orawar Manrua.
Its name, peculiar conformation and local traditions, all point
to its having been at some very remote period the bed of the
Jamna. It joins the river at both end-? ; is about the same
breadth as the existing bed with its h'lchhar, and is similarly
bounded on l)oth sides by precipitous ravines. Some years ago
a cultivator while sinking a well found the remains of a boat in
a fair state of preservation imbedded in tlio hhagna many feet
below the surface; a strong proof of the correctness of the
commonly accepted theory of the origin of this peculiar physical
feature. AV’’olls are made at the edge of the hhagna^ as in the true
Jamna valley, (dose to the high cliffs of the plateau, but irriga-
tion is scarcely needed even in dry seasons. The western branch
of the hhagna has deteriorated considerably from the erosion of
the small torrent called the Nandia; former owners of the
village of Puuchha hod erected masonry embankments to
prevent the scour of this tributary of the J^mna and the remains
Agricvltwe and Commerce.
43
I
f
of sowing them separately. Thirty years ago only 748 acres
were planted with cotton and a,har together, 'rhis^crop now
covers 36,153 acres. On tlic other hand, only 11,056 acre,s of
cotton by itself arc now recorded in lieu of a former 48,241
acres. The total area iindcu- cotton thus e.\liil)its a slight
falling off. but this Would appear to be only temporary, and in
the opinion of the settlement officer '• all other indications are
that the cotton area will expand in this district.” Arhar,
whicli is so largely grown in comlanation wilh the millets
and cotton, is rarely or never found alone. 'I'he remaining
Icharif croiis are rice, sugarcane, indigo and some garden
and other miscellaneous crops. The rice-growing area in tlie
district is not a largo one, lint the low-lying (i,.sor day soils
provide a fairly constant average of some 20.0(10 to 25,000 acres
of this crop, consisting chidly of the early varieties. Sugarcane
was never an important crop in this dist rict,, and its area has
lioen steadily diminishing, until it now stands at only 8,212
acres, or less than lialf ivhat it, was at, the former sett, lenient.
(,’uriously enough, this decrease in popularity has coindded with
iniiiroved methods of sugar extraction, and the siilistitut ion of
the modern iron press tor the old sUme one. Indigo lias also
a])pre(na])ly decreased in area and is praclieally dcdiiiKd, only
about 500 to 1,000 acres l.eing now grown, though during the.
past settlement period there was at one time a great impetus
o'iven to the cultivation of the plant, nearly every other village
Lving set up its little factory, turning out some 50 to 100
maunds of the dye. But the decline of indigo in recent years
has left the countryside dotted with the vats and limldings now
crumbling to decay, the gloomy memorials of a ruined industry
and spent capital. 'I'he stoppage of the supply of the indigo
manure has already been felt, and will continue to be a serious
loss • but on the other hand the numerous good wells Imilt for the
factories remain as an appreciable gain. Garden crops, which
once covered over 8,000 acres, have now shrunk to little over 2,000.
The other miscellaneous kharif products are not of sufficient
individual importance to call for separate mention.
The zaid harvest is insignificant in area, representing only
one half per cent, in the total. It consists almost entirely of
Zaid
harYOBt*
General Featiires*
11
of two structures are to bo seen at its mouth, where the Naridia
curiously enough has cut its way to the Jamna through a cliff
on the western side of the hhagm. The hhagna at Pariyar is
only four miles in length of loss fertility and of obviously older
formation. On account of its high banks and sluggish current
the changes in the river are neither so great nor so frequent as
in the Muttra district further north, and gain or loss from
alluvion or diluvion arc of small importance. -Pelow the hichhar
land is the river bed soil or tir in whi(‘h as soon as the rainy
season floods subside the plough is run and the seed sown with-
out the labour of irrigation or preliminary cultivation so needed
elsewhere. Tho river is fordable^ at a few places in the cold and
dry seasons, especially when tho canals aro absorliing tho rivm*
water higher up and tho year has boon one of scanty rainfall.
There are ferries at prawar Manrua, Pajpiir Ilalai, Para Pagh,
Patesar, Pikrampur and Parna, all except tho first being con-
trolled by the Agra District Poard. At Narangi Pah on tho
road to Patesar tho river contra(*ts to a width of about 150 feet
in the cold weather, running swiftly in a narrow deep channel of
kankar and here is located a temporary pontoon bridge replaced
by a ferry in the rainy season. The site of the pontoon bridge
is an ideal one for a more perraanont structure. About a mile
from Narangi Pah on the Agra side of tho river in the old bed
begins the ground where tho annual horso and cattle
fair is held in connection with the full moon bathing festival
of the month of Kartik (November) at Patesar. The town of
Patesar itself is throe miles from Narangi Pah facing the Jamna
at the other end of its old bed opposite the village of Phar Tar
on the Mainpuri shore. Except Patesar there are no important
places along the river and jiavigation and trade aro practically
nil.
There are no actual tributaries of the Jamna, but two ravine
torrents, the Nandi a mentioned above and the Patsui nala, flow
into it in this district. ^J'he Naiidia before it cuts through the
hhagna near Punchha village drains a large area and forms a
separate system of ravines reaching for miles into the district. The
Nandia assumes a definite bed at Rudau, 5 miles to the south
of Shikohabad. but its draina 2 re extends almost as far as the
44
Mainpuri district.
melons and similar products grown on the sandy tarai banks
of tlie Isan Nadi, in the vicinity of the city of Mainpuri.
Irrigation. Mainpuri is exceptionally well irrigated from all sources —
canals, wells, jhilSj and the rivers. The last named are not of
much direct use for irrigation, but their khadir or tarai , the
lowlying ground along the sides of the main stream which is
overflowed during the rains, needs, as a rule, no further watering
to enable it to prodiKie good crops. At the recent settlement, in
the year of record, it was found that of the cultivated area of
590,435 acres no less than 497,411 acres or 84 per cent, com-
manded irrigation from one source or another. The latter
iiguro was deduced, village by village and field by field, from
the actually irrigated areas of the more seasonally normal years
preceding the record year, so that this aggregate area may be
taken as a reasonably correct estimate of the normal irrigable
area at the present time. The actual area found necessary to be
irrigated in dry years, however, comes to about §rd.s of that figure,
but in any case slightly exceeds half the cultivated area. The
parganas with largest percentages of actual irrigation are Karhal
70 per cent, and Ghiror 03 per cent., while the lowest percentages
are liewar 42 per cent., Kishni 44 per cent., and Shikohabad 46
per cent. An examination of the detailed figures will show that
of this total, 183,577 acres or 37 per cent, of the total irrigation
are supplied from the canals, 274,530 acres or 55 per cent, from
wells, and only 39,304 acres or 8 per cent, from other sources,
i.e. the jhils and rivers. Even the 93,024 acres returned as
unirrigated cannot all bo considered totally dry, as this figure
includes a number of plots in lowlying tarai areas, in the jhils
and river beds, such as the Dhayiia of pargana Shikohabad, the
soil of which ordinarily retains sufficient moisture to carry it
through the whole rahi season without further artificial irriga-
tion. The totally dry area, therefore, does not exceed 8,600
acres at the outside. The improvement during the last settle-
ment period has been very remarkable. The actual increase in
irrigable area amounts to some 40,000 acres or 12 per cent, on
the former irrigable areas. But this is no measure of the increase
in the stability and assuredness of the irrigation. Thus, the
canal supply which, unlike that of the wells, is independent of
12
Ma/inpun Distfid.
The Kali
Nadi.
railway lino west of Shikohabad, and includes that of the Aonri
and Dundiamai cuts. The Patsui nala^ so called in canal
department phraseology, starts in mauza Rhandri near Patsui^
south of the canal between Shikohabad and Sirsaganj, and flows
as an artificial drainage line to mauza Galpura near Bhadan,
where it meot^ the Juhmai, Ujrai, Alampur, and Nagla Tal
drainage cuts. Here those fall into a natural ravine running
south of Bhadan into mauza Mai where the ravines terminate in
the Jamna. Both these ravines are causes of serious erosion to
the alluvial plateau on either side of them and schemes for con-
trolling them are in hand. Not only these l)ut the minor Jamna
ravines also are gradually and irresistibly encroaching on the
level plateau and furnish an engineering problem of some
importance.
The Kali Nadi forms the north-eastern boundary of the
district, separating it from Etah and Farrukhal ad. It is a
narrow stream, but perennial, and even during the spring and
summer months is only fordable at certain places. There is a
bridge of five 48 feet spans on the Farrukhabad road near tho
village of Sakat Be war and the railway to Farrukhabad crosses
it at Dayaiiatnagar Mota by a bridge of ten spans of 70 feet ;
elsewhere it is crossed only by ferries at Allupura, Hannu Khera,
Bhanau, Hajghat (controlled by the Mainpuri District Board),
Dobinagar and Partabpur in the Etah district, and Itupnagar
in Farrukhabad. Even in the rains the current is not strong
and tho river bed shifts but little. It runs through a belt of low
alluvial soil which is bounded on either side by high steep blufis
of sand. Sometimes tho river keeps a middle course between
these sand ranges, but oftencr keeps close to one of them, throw-
ing tho whole of the kJuidir to the other side. This alluvial land
often extends to a widch of half a mile, and, owing to the height
of the banks, was not formerly subject to annual inundations
except near Jamlapur, to the north of pargana Kuraoli. Of late
years, however, considerable flooding has taken place from the
use of the river as a canal escape. The steep character of the
banks in many places precludes tho possibility of any benefit
being derived from tho river, either as a depositor of alluvial
soil or as a source of irrigation, during its course through
Agriovlture and Commerce,
46
1
the local rainfall, has more than doubled itself, increasing by
91,896 acres. In other words, the thirty years have seen some
16 to 16 per cent, more of the whole cultivated area taken under
the stable canal irrigation. At the same time, the number of
wells, both whole and part masonry, has increased from 7,972
to 13,064, a largo increase of 6,092, and of these 13,064 now
existing, 7,270 (3,313 whole and 3,957 lialf masonry) are newly
built sinco the last settlement. These new wells represent an
investment of at least 6 lakhs of rupees sunk in the land for
agricultural purposes, and at any rate iiulicato a fairly comfort-
able surplus of means among the villagers. A noteworthy index
of the security and prosperity r.'sulting from tho oxtonsiou of
canal irrigation is to be found in ])argana Eewar and the north
of pargaiias Kislini and Bhongaon, whore tho population was
► formerly thinnest and the losses most severe in periods of
' depression. In this tract, sinco tho opening of the new Bowar
canal, the population has increased by 22 per cent, and 551 now
village sites have sprung into (jxistenec. Ihe district as a whole
is now adequately protect(;d by irrigation, as the history of
recent famine years will prove ; l)ut there are still some tracts
mentioned above in the paragraph on precarious tracts, to which
the canals do not penetrate, and whore, for one reason ora,nother,
tho well suiiply is unsatisfactory. Tho percentage of irrigation
to cultivation is naturally highest in the best portion of the
' canal tract, whore it rises as high as 94 per cent. On the other
hand, in the Jamiia ravine tract the percentage is still only34i)er
cent., while, except in just a few of tho more fortunately situated, in
tho villages along the Kali Nadi the proportion of wot to total
cultivation does not exceed 47 per cent. The rest of the central
loam division and the Sirsa Nadi portion of tho southern traef
have 90 per cent, of their cultivated areas commanded by irriga-
tion; the better villages of tho northern bhur tract, which are
now commanded by the Bewar canal, have 86 per cent, of their
^ ( areas irrigated (nearly all from tho canal), while the inferior bhur
portions of both the northern and southern bhur tracts have some
69 and 70 per cent, irrigable.
But while the canal irrigation is of immense value to the
district, it has apparently assisted the spread of reh. It would,
)
\jiemrab jemwes.
10
Kuraoli, but further east the khadir becomes more uniform, and
from its inherent moisture requires little irrigation. It is in its
glory in bad seasons when the rains have been very light ; when
the rainfall is above the average, the soil becomes water-logged,
reh is thrown to the surface, and the seed germinates but sparsely.
Water is found close to the surface all over tho khadir y often at a
depth of only a few inches, and where wells arc needed they can
be dug in a good firm soil. Latterly during years of drought
chain pumps have been found useful, and in places canal water
finds its way into the taraL The Nadrai Aqueduct flood of 1886,
which is mentioned in Chapter II, caused immense damage to
the land and houses of the khadir and swept away the bridge
near Sakat Bewar.
Next to the Kali comes the Tsaii, which is here a consider- The Isan.
able stream, fordable only in a few places in the rains. But
during the remainder of the year the volume of running water
is small, and in years of unusual drought there is no apparent
stream, but the pools that remain are fed l)y springs. It is
bridged in five places : twice close to the civil station of
Maiiipuri, at the llobi temple on the Mainpuri-Kuraoli road,
close to Mainpuri, at Madhan on the Ghiror and Kuraoli road
and at Eusmara on the Etawah and Farrukhabad road. Luring
the first part of its course, and to within four miles of its
junction with the Kak Nadi about three miles north-west of
Mainpuri, it runs through a loam and U8ar country, has a
comparatively shallow bed, and often overflows the neighbouring
lands in time of flood. Here it has a considerable expanse of
lowlying alluvial land of tolerably good character along its
banks, but during the dry season the water is too scanty and
uncertain to admit of its being used for irrigation. Beyond this
point the character of the stream and the aspect of the country
through which it flows change completely. The bed becomes deeper,
the banks more steep, and the current stronger, while the area of
inundation is considerably confined. Instead of near, high
banks of white and undulating sand appear, and the soil for a
long distance on either side is light and mixed with sand. Not
only is the area of alluvial land very much smaller, but the deposit
left by the river has a larger proportion of sand in it and. is not
46
Mainpuri District*
of course, boa palpable error to attribute what reli there now is
affecting the cultivated area wholly to the canals. In the first place,
the jNlainjmri cultivator is uotexa(*tly ])rone to economy in the use
of canal water. There has recently Ix'cii a steady substitution of
a lift for the direct flow ’’ supply. But where the supply is by
flow the cultivator’s method of applying water to his field is often
to open out all the channels overnight and to go to bed, leaving
them running. It matters nothing to him that by the morning
besides Ids own field, many surrounding plots, which did not
want the watia*, are unnecessarily swamped. Secondly, the
distri(*t suffered much between 188/5 and 1891 from abnor-
mally heavy rainfalls, and large tracts remained for several years
water-logged. Nevertheless, the provision of an easy and phuiti-
fill supply of canal water has assisted the formation of reh in
fields still unaffected, ^tiid there ari' now in the canal-irrigated
portions of the district some hi villages in pargana Shikohabad
and 25 in tahsil Karhal in whicli the ])henomenon is very
apparent, and there are some others along the canals in tahsils
Mustafabad, Mainj>uri and Bhongaon, but the Sengar Sirsa and
Kali Isan Duabs an^ free from reh. The Bhognipur branch
again has not been an unmixed lilessing to the Sirsa Nadi tract
of ])argana Shikohaiiad. Apart from th(‘ deterioration, includ-
ing damage to house property (for which the necessary relief was
given at thii time), which this canal caused to the villages in its
vicinity owing to the absence of a proper contemporaneous
system of drainage, the canal has caused a more or less permanent
excess of dampness in the soil of the villages along it and a
tendency to ixh. and has in others effectively impaired if not
destroyed the previous excellent well capacity. Further, as a
subsequent effect of the development of the drainage systems,
the larger volumes of Hood and surplus waters now sent along the
former natural rain channels of tlie ravines have caused the loss
of some valuable alluvial soils, hhagna and kachhar, of the
villages along the Jamna.
Another unsatisfactory feature of the canal system that has
come into evidence in late years of scanty rainfall is the short
supply of canal water due to the low state of the Ganges, and the
consequent diversion of the canal supply to the less favoured
Tho Arind
or Bind.
14
Mainpuhri District*
so highly prized, except close to Mainpuri and some of tho larger
villages on its bank where a near market makes it valuable for
growing melons and hot-weather vegetables. There are a few
places where the Isan spreads out for several hundred yards, and
a few where deep pools exist all the year round. In favourable
seasons it is fordable during tho rains ; but as a rule bamboo rafts,
supported on earthen vessels, are used for crossing. From
Mainpuri downwards the river is a good deal used for irriga-
tion, though the sandy ridges along its banks often prove an
insurmountable obstacle, and occasionally earthen emijankmeijts
arc constructed at LFnchlia Islamabad near the Farrukliabad
border and another is regularly constructed every year just
beyond tho border.
Tho Arind (or Kind as it is' called further down its course)
is a very insignificant stream m this district, whi(;li it enters to the
north of pargana Mustafabad, between the Ktawah and Cawnpore
branches of tho (langes Canal, and traverses in an exceedingly
sinuous course from tho extreme north-west to tho extreme south-
east corner. A straight line from its point of entry to its point
of exit is almost tho longest which could be drawn on tho district
map. In seasons of ordinary rainfall it dries up after the rains,
and very often througliout the first half of its course its bed even
is cultivated with vahi crops. Of late years its use as a canal
escape has compelled the cultivators to abandon this practice to a
great extent, but tho benefit which the adjoining lands derive
from tho water more than compensates for the small area thus
rendered unfit for cultivation. Temporary earthen embank-
ments are constructed, as in tho Isan, but to a greater extent,
Tho Arind is said to be fordable everywhere during the rains,
but in times of very high flood it can only be crossed in certain
places. It presents a striking contrast to the Kali and Isan.
It has a singularly winding course, following every slight
depression in tho surface of the country, and sometimes return-
ing on itself. In tho Ghiror pargana, for instance, it was
found by actual measurement that its course was close upon
three times as long as a straight line between the two extreme
points. The stream is therefore even jn the height of the rains a
slufif&rish one. the bed shallow and little below^the level of the
Agriculture and Oomnierce.
47
■>
districts lower down the Duab. The proposed Sarda feeder,
however, should remedy this deficiency and lead to desirable
extensions of channels to villages hitherto not reached by the
eanal and devoid of an efficient well supply. This partial
failure of 'the canal (ioupled with a run of dry seasons has
encouraged the making of wells, and it is hoped that the district
will be able to absorb annually about one lakh of rupees of
(iovornment loans that are forthcoming for this purpose.
AVith all its defects, however, canal water is on the whole more m
demand than well water, and its supply must be very unc.u-tain
for it to be ousted l)y the latter.
The original (iangos ( ’anal, opened in 18.71, traversed Main-
puri with the Cawnpore and Ktawah brainlies, both of thoTU follow-
ing the same lines as at present. 'I'ho amount of irrigationnbtain-
alde from the canal was limited, and in ISIKi a committee was
appointed by the (lovernment of India to consider the question
of its remodelling and the supplementing of its supply by a new
eanal taken out of the Gang. s at a Iow.t point. The committee
reported in favour of the proposal but suggested the postpone-
ment of any action till the valu.'S of water for irrigation should
have risen. The failure of the rains in ISGli, however,
emphasized the necessity for immediate action, and in 18(5'.) preli-
minary survey operations \ver<^ commenced with a view to the
selection of a site for the weir and the location of the mam lino
of the proposed canal in connection with the existing Cawnpore
and Etawah branches of the Ganges Canal. detailed survey
in the following year clearly indicated Marora, a village about
oO miles to the north-east of Aligarh, as the best available site
for the weir, and in 1870 a detailed project for the I.ower Ganges
Canal was prepared. This project proposed to make the mam
canal from Narora to Allahabad, feeding the Cawnpore and
lOtawah branches by a supply channel and crossing the former
at the 115th mile of its course at Tarha, and to make a new
Bhognipur branch, taking out of the Etawah branch just beyond
the boundary of the Mainpuri district. Work was began in
1872, but in 1877 the Local Government submitted a revised
project, abandoning the proposal to carry the main canal to
Allahabad, and substituting for it the Bewar branch, to follow
Canals.
General Features,
15
surrounding country. Ilenco its floods spread wide and form a
broad sheet of lazily moving water which, on subsiding, fertilizes
the country over which it has passed with a rich alluvial deposit,
very different from the frecpiently sandy and gritty deposit of the
Isan. IMorcover, the whole country traversed by the Rind is
exceptionally free from sainly soil. It Hows through that part
of the district in whicli wir loam and clay are the constituent
soils, and the bhibr ranges of the Kali Nadi and Isan are no-
where met with along its bank. Near its point of departure from
the district, in the Kishiii pargaua, a remarkable change comes
over the stream; its bed becomes deeper and siraighter, its
current more rapid, its deposit less fertile and its inundation-area
more confined, thus preparing for the development of sand-
hills and even ravines which are found further on in the Ktawah
district. The only bridges over th i Arin I are on the metalled
roads, at Parham, Kalhor, Gliitauli, and Arsara near Gopalpur,
also the Lower Ganges Pcedcr Canal traV( rscs it by means of a
syphon, in connection with which the river bed has been trained
and deepened.
This, though smaller than the Isan, is a much more important The Sou-
stream than that just described. Kntering tluj district on its
north-western frontier, in pargana Mustufabad, it drains the
whole of the (jxtensivo watershed lying between the Ariiid and
tlie Sirsa, and is never dry except in years of extreme drought,
while its volunn is considerably increased in wut seasons by
escape wat^v from the canal. In the upper portion of its course
it comprises two branches, the Sciigar proper to the north and tho
Senhar or second Sengar^' to tho south. These unite at
Kheria on tho confines of pargana IMustafabud and up to their
point of junction resomldc the Arind in tho country through
which they pass and tho oxcollenco of their tarai ; but beyond
tho confluence poor soil and sand ridges begin to appear
along the banks, tho stream increases in rapidity, its bod becomes
deeper, and small ravines shoot out at right angles from it,
which, further on, in tho Etawah district, almost rival those of
tho Jamna in depth and wildness. Both branches in sevci^l places
stretch out into wide expanses, such as those of Pilakhtar
Pateh and Dundron the Sengar proper, and Dihufl on the Senhar*
Mainpuri DistrioL
the same alignment, but to terminate at the lean Nadi. The main
canal was to be continued along the supply branch, crossing the
Cawnpore branch at Gopalpur by a level crossing, up to Jera,
near Eka, whore tho old Etawah branch meets it and where the
new branch would take ofif from it, and the Bhognipur branch
was to start from Jera and traverse tho southern portion of
Mainpuri, instead of beginning in tho Etawah district. These
modifications were accepted by the Government of India in 1877,
and in 1880 tho new l)ranchcs were opened. The district is now
Canal
Divisions,
therefore traversed hy tho Lower Ganges canal and four of its
leranches, and every pargaiia is more or less protected by canal
water. Tho main canal, entering the district at its north-western
corner, flows through the Mustafabad tahsll from north to south,
while its four branches strike off to tho south-east and run in
more or loss parallel courses through tlie breadth of tho district
from west to east, but always bearing to the south. Tho most
northerly, tho so-called Bewar branch, loaves the main canal at
mile 40, in the Etawah district, entering the Mainpuri district
at its 25th mile. Next to it, to the south, is tho Cawnpore
branch, which takes out of the main canal in its 5Gth mile at
Gopalpur in pargana Mustafabad. Six miles further south, at
Jera, the main canal bifurcates into two branches, tho Etawah
branch and the Bhognipur branch. Tho former of these runs
eastwards in a direction roughly parallel to tho Bewar and
Cawnpore branches, while tho latter continues its course almost
duo south till it reaches the tahsil town of Shikohabad. It there
swings round to tho east as it approaches tho lino of the East
Indian Railway and follows thenceforward a course parallel to
those of tho other branches. Tho water from the upper Ganges
canal system also supplements the supply of tho feeder canal at
Gopalpur and Jera. There are regulators at each of the canal
heads, and bridges at Gopalpur, Uresar, and Sarabpur (Eka) ;
also a syphon over the Arind.
The canal divisions under executive engineers of the Irriga-
tion department are distributed throughout the district without
relation to other administrative boundaries. The Mainpuri
division with headquarters at Mainpuri covers the north of the
district north of the Arind river, excluding the small areas on
I
4
,1
16
Mainpuri District,
As a source of irrigation^ the Sengar is, during the lower part of
its course, even less important than the other rivers, while in the
upper portion the smallness of the supply renders it almost use-
less for this purpose. The Sengar is bridged on the metalled
roads atJasrana and Azamabad Araon, and the Senhar at Aturra;
while near Earhal on the Sirsaganj-Karhal road there is a fair
weather bridge. Both these streams like the Sirsa are crossed by
the main Bhognipur canal.
Sirsa. The Sirsa enters the Mainpuri district at the south-west
corner of pargana Mustafabad close to ^Siaori, approaches
Shikohabad after passing under the Bhognipua canal and
thence runs between and parallel with the Ktawah road and the
canal. Its drainage area in this district is restricted, and it runs
through an almost continuously cultivated tract characterised by
a light soil of sand and loam. There is little usar along its banks,
and sandy ridges are only met with close to the town of Shikoh-
abad. Little water remains in its bod after the cessation of the rains,
the supply being barely sufficient to irrigate thotaraior lowly ing
lands on each side of the stream. The banks are well defined
and the alluvial land is more extensirc and more fertile than that
sdong the Sengar. The soil, which is naturally excellent, receives
moisture by percolation from the Bhognipur canal and hardly
requires any irrigation in ordinary years, when it produces luxuri-
ant rabi crops, and there is no doubt that the river bed will have to
be deepened to prevent reh at Bhadau and other villages due to this
percolation spreading. There are bridges on each of the roads
leading to the railway stations of Bhadan, Kaurara (Sirsaganj) and
Shikohabad, and on the Agra road ; and even in the rains it is
fordable in many places.
Among the minor streams, the Aganga is a small and
unimportant drainage line which takes its rise in a tank near
the town of Shikohabad, runs through parganas Shikohabad
and Barnahal and falls into the Sengar a few hundred yards within
the Etawah district. For the first half of its length it is merely the
connecting link between a series of marshes, and it is often difficult
to trace its course ; but, towards its junction with the Sengar, its
bed is d^p and well defined, and sand^idges and even smidl ravines
are developed along its banks. It dries up i&mediately after
'AgrievUwi and Commerce.
I
I
the east and west under the Cawnpore and Aligarh divisions
respectively. It also includes the Bhognipur branch up to the
Shikohabad tahsil boundary southwards from Gopalpur, and
overlaps the Etah district as far as the head of the Bewar branch,
which is entirely within this charge. The hcadworks of all four
branches are within this division, of which Gopalpur on the
extreme western boundary is the most important ; and scarcely
less important is the system of regulators at Jera for the Bhogni-
pur and Etawah branches. A sub-divisional officer is always
permanently located at Gopalpur in connection with the regula-
tion of supply to the main branches. The Aligarh division with
headquarters at Aligarh covers the area irrigated by the
distributaries fed from the Upper Ganges Canal system above
Gopalpur and .Jera. The Sciigar Nadi improvement to the west
of the Bhognipur branch, and. the I’ilakhtar, Nuh Suraya, and
Katana distributaries are within the division. The Etawah
division is conterminous with the Arind-Sengar duab below
Jera. The Cawnpore division extends eastwards from the Tarha
bridge on the extreme eastern boundary of the district, and is
limited to the Arind-Isan duab. The Bhognipur division starts
at the Sirsa river on the Bhognipur branch, and ends so far as
this district is concerned at the Etawah border in Shikohabad
tahsil. For irrigation purposes these divisions are Avell defined
and include the main canal and branches therefrom within the
above-mentioned areas. For drainage purposes the boundaries
are not so exact, and the Sengar-Sirsa duab east of the Bhogni-
pur branch is not included in any charge, but very little drainage
if any is actually needed here.
This branch, which was opened in 1880, irrigates the Saki ^
pargana in Etah, and the Kali-Isan duab in the parpnas of
Lraoli, Alipur Patti, Bhongaon, Bewar, and Kishni in Mainpun
as well as part of Farrukhabad. It enters the Mainpun district
at Panwah and comes to an end in the Isan Nadi near..Tar a.
With the exception of a stretch of loam betw^n the towns of
Kuraoli and Bhongaon, the country through which It flows 18
Ldy and was in former years exceedingly liable to suffer in years
of drougl^t, but has now been transformed into a most
•and secure agricultural region. lu times of fuU demand rte. , ,
General Feaiunea,
17
the rains and is Consequently useless for irrigation purposes.
Like the other streams, it also has its narrow belt of tarai land,
which is very fair indeed except at its approach to the Sengar,
where the soil becomes barren and denuded. A large portion of
its bed is under cultivation during the rabi season. The Kak or
KakNadi,a tributary of the Isan^ which it strongly resembles
in every respect, rises in pargana Sakit of the Etah district and,
after a somewhat winding course through parganas Kuraoli and
Mainpuri, joins the Isan near Gopalpur, a short distance north*
west of the town of Mainpuri. The Chhaha Nala starts in the
Sultanganj drainage cut on the Bewar canal and joins the Isan
near Gobindpur three miles south of Bhongaon. The Rasemar
Nala conveys the drainage from the Rasemar jhU on the
Mainpuri-Kuraoli road into the Kak Nadi. The Nandia
or Fatehpur Nala and the Patsui Nala described above in con-
nection with the Jamna are merely the largest and the most
important of the many torrents which carry off to the Jamna the
superfluous water not absorbed by the soil after any heavy
rainfall. They rise rapidly and flow violently for a few hours,
and then as suddenly cease. The Ujhiani Nala starts near
Bujhia in mauza Urthan in pargana Karhal and drains the area
between the Takhrau and Karhal distributaries. Between
Pasupur and Ujhiani the stream lies to the cast of the Takhrau
distributary under which it passes twice at the points above-
mentioned by means of syphons. At Ujhiani the stream com-
mences to have a marked bed and, crossing the Karhal road
near Heonra inspection house in the Etawah district, joins the
Sengar two miles further on. The Puraha has two sources, one at
Buna five miles north-west of Kurra in pargana Karhal and the
other at Timrakh three miles to the north of Kurra. The Timrakh
jhil and the Sauj and Saman lakes are connected by the Saman
Nala, which flows through the western limb of the latter lake
and unites with the eastern branch of the stream beyond the tail
of the Sauj minor in mauza Karri in pargana Etawah. The
eastern branch is called the Karri Nala. The Ahnaiya lies to
the west of the Bansak distributary and between it and the
main canal. These three streams, tributaries of the Arind^ hav^
scarcely any existence in this district and it is not until
2
60
Main^vi DiBtrict.
discharge at the head is 712 cubic feet per second, and it runs every
alternate week. It is not navigable. Its distributaries in this
district are the Birsinghpur minor, the Bankia, Bhongaon and
Bajhera on the right bank, and the Malawan, Kuraoli, Bewar,
Nigoh, and Binsia channels on the left. With the exception
of the Malawan, Nigoh and Binsia distributaries, which also
serve parts of Etah and Farrukhabad, the irrigation from
these channels is entirely confined to Mainpuri. The
disastrous breach of the Eali Nadi a(|ueduct at Nadrai near
Kasganj in Etah in 1885, to which reference has been made else-
where, besides devastating the whole valley of the Kali Nadi, also
involved the closing of this canal for a considerable time. The
area commanded by this branch is 127,933 acres and the maxi-
mum yet irrigated by it has been 58,101 acres in 1905-06. The
area irrigated in the 1907-08 famine was rather less, amounting
to 53,080 acres only. There are bridges at Panwah, Tilokpur
(Lakhaura), Saraiya (Sarai Latif), Kunwarpur (Bikrampur),
Kuraoli, Nanamau, Bichhwan, Kinawar, Bilon, Jalalpur, Raj-
wana, Barauli, Manpur Hari, Bewar, Majholi, Sobhanpur and
Todarpur. There are falls with regulators at Kuraoli, Jalalpur,
and Majholi and two tail falls at Bahramau and Ahmadpur of
12 feet each into the Isan. There is one syphon at Tig wan.
This, like the Etawah branch, originally formed part of the
Ganges Canal system, and was only transferred to the Lower
Ganges system in 1877. It now takes off from the main canal in
its 56th mile at Gopalpur in pargana Mustafabad and flows
south-east as far as Dannahar, where it makes a slight curve to
accommodate itself to the course of the Arind river. The canal
passes through the parganas of Mustafabad, Ghiror, Mainpuri,
Bhongaon and Kishni, entering the Farrukhabad district in its
60th mile, near Dhakroi, and irrigates the country lying between
the Isan and Arind rivers. In times of full demand its
discharge at the head at Gopalpur is 1,600 cubic feet per second. It
is provided with numerous bridges at Gopalpur, Ninauli, Kailai,
Muhkampur (Aurangabad), Nagaria (Nagla Salehi), Pacha-
war, Karaoli, Dannahar, Rustampur (Dharmangadpur Nagaria),
Singhpur (Auren Panraria) Patarhar, (Angautha), Bhanwat,
Baaawanpur, Kasardh, Raihar (SingAi), Dhaoraus, Tarfea, an4
18
Mainpuri Distnct*
Lakes
and
Marshes.
have passed into the Etawah district that they assume any
importance. It is only in the rains that they are distinguish-
able as streams, but at other seasons they are marked by
detached jfiils or lakes. All the minor streams and drainage
lines are devoid of water during the dry season and during the
rains they offer no impediment to communications.
Mainpuri abounds in swamps and marshes, particularly in its
central portion, but few of them are of sufficient size or perma-
nence to deserve the name of lake, ^loiition will only be made
hero of the more considorablo ones, and for the others reference
should be made to the accounts of parganas. In all 36,870 acres
are recorded in the revenue records as under water. This
figure, which includes the rivers, di«cril)e8 the area which in a
normal year is from this cause rcndorcjd incapable of cultivation,
but there are numbers of depressions which, at the end of the
rains and during the early cold weather, are covered with water,
but are brought under the plough for the mhi crop. Even the
largest, as they are seldom supplied from springs, are liable, in
years of excessive drought, to dry up altogether, or to become
mere ponds. There are two lakes of fair size in pargana Kuraoli,
at Panwah and Rasomar, both connected with the Kak Nadi, by
which they are alternately filled and emptied. During the rains
it pours into them its overflow, whi(jli later on its diminished
stream drains off. The former, now divided in two by the Bewar
canal, covers 17G acres with a depth of 3 to 4 feet of water in
the cold weather, but during the summer much of this is lost.
The northern portion is now drained. The latter, with a
maximum length of nearly two miles and breadth of about 400
yards, also dwindles rapidly after the cessation of the rains. In
pargana Mainpuri is the Karimganj jhil, nearly a mile in length
by 300 yards in breadth, coveiing an area of 79 acres, which is,
however, materially decreased in the hot weather. There is also
a long narrow lake of considerable size to the south-west of Main-
puri city, between it and theCawnpore branch of the Ganges canal,
which drains by two cuts towards the Isan. Pargana Bhongaon
is full of large stretches of water. North-east of the civil station
and in close proximity are the Airwa and Sikandarpur jhUs, and
to the east of the Grand Trunk road, at Kinawar, is a marsh
61
Agriculture and Commerce.
Fatehpur (Kumhaul), A largo distributary known as the Naga-
riarajbaha leaves this branch on the left bank near Nagaria (other-
wise known as Nagla Salehi) and another lower down at Tarha.
On the riglit bank arc the Pachawar and Sakrawa distributaries.
The Pachawar distributary starts at Pachawar, and skirts the
main canal to its tail at Dhanraus. The Sakrawa distributary
starts at the Tarha bridge and irrigates throe villages before enter-
ing the Farrukhabad district. As this is a navigable canal there
are weirs aud locks at Tarha, Nagaria (Nagla Salohi) and Gopal-
pur. The area irrigated in 1906-07 was 44,838 acres for both
seasons, out of a commanded area of 1,003,761 acres.
This branch irrigates the duab between the Arind and Etawah
Sengar rivers, running parallel with the Cawnpore branch as far
as Gangsi, whore it takes a turn to the south. Its head is at
Jera, a hamlet of Eka in Mustafabad, and it runs for 41 J miles
in Mainpuri before it enters the Etawah district. It crosses the
natural drainage lines at several points. At Ghiror a large
escape with a regulator into the Sengar river has been construct-
ed. There are bridges at Sunari, Fatehpur, Katana, Nagla
Tiwari (Eka), Paindhat, Kanwa Kana, Patikra, Baragaon,
Kusiari, Nagla Fateh Khan, Ghiror, Nagla Jarari (Kosma),
Jawapur, Gangsi, Nitaoli, Bujhiya fUrthan), Nagla Basa,
Dundgaon, Takhrau and Bilanda (Rurua). The right main
^ distributary no longer exists, its place having been taken by
* several independent distributaries from the main canal. The
principal distributaries are now the Kaurara (Buzurg), Kusiari,
Karhal and Takhrau rajbahas on the right bank, and the Jarari,
Gangsi and Bansak channels on the left. The total length of the
distributaries and their minor channels in this district is 199
miles, and they irrigate 238 villages. The area commanded by
this canal is 138,164 acres, and of this area about 60 per cent.
can be irrigated in a year of drought in the two seasons. The
normal full discharge or volume passing the regulator at Jera is
% 2,049 cubic feet per second. There are falls at Patikra, Kusiari,
f Ghiror, Gangsi, Nitaoli and Bilanda. The canal is not navig-
able, nor are the weirs at present used as sources of water power.
This was opened in 1880. Like the Etawah branch, it starts
Jerft, aud forms the more southerly of ^he two brfkuphes in^o
Omeral FeaiwreR»
19
66 acres in extent. Others are to be found further south and east
at Bhanwat, Rui^Manchhana and fundri. Eastagain^in Eishni-
Nabiganj, is the more important lake of .Tanaura with an area
of 208 acres and a depth of 12 feet, situated in the centre of a
sandy tract. This lake was drained into the Kali Nadi by a
syphon under the Be war canal, but the syphon was closed up.
It is, however, proposed to drain it again in the same way.
Close by, and connected with the last named, lies the Chirawar
jhil extending over 116 acres. Still further south in the same
pargana is found a group of extensive) lakes: Saman, 233 acres in
area and 25 feet in depth, Pharenji, and Basait. There is a jhil
at Paraunkha in Bowar ])argana, and in ( Jhiror there are several
shallow jhilsj the largest being at Pachawar, Bidhiind and Bigrai.
Mustafabad, again, is full of swamps, but all, exci'pt Utrara, are
of minor importance, drying up with great raindity. On the right
bank of the Etawah branch of the ( ranges canal, in the extreme
north-east of pargana Barnahal, lies the Saj Ilajipur jhil, cover-
ing 61 acres. In Karhal pargana there are numerous lakes
and marshes, the sources of the Ahnaiya, Puraha and Ujhiani
streams. Of these the most important are the Dookali, 62 acres
in area, and very deep, and the 8auj, of about 149 acres, which
drains into the groat Saman lake and is also connected with the
neighbouring Rarer reservoir. The latter is long and narrow
like most of the lakes in this district, but of great depth. Close
by is the Timrakh lake with an area of 92 acres. Tiio Shikoh-
abad pargana contains a few jhUs to the north, among whicli the
Sarakh and Baijua may be mentioned. All these lakes and marshes
expand very considerably during the rains, and few of them dry
up altogether except in seasons of intense drought but generally
keep a good supply of water through the hot weather. The
figures given above are estimates of tiie superficial area of the
water remaining at the end of the cold weather and can only l)e
laken as approximate, varying os they do with the character of
}he lake and the nature of the rainfall.
The general slope of the country, as has been already
[escribed, is from north-west to south-east, and this is the direc-
iion in which the rivers run and which is therefore followed in the
nain by the drainage. There are, however, numerous inequalities
62
Mainpv/ri DistTict.
:
which the main canal divides at this point. Its course is at first
due south to Araunj, near Shikohabad town, but from this place
it curves to the east and runs between the railway and the Sirsa
river into the Etawah district. At the 3rd mile it crosses the
Sengar, at the 10th mile the Senhar, and at the I9th mile the
Sirsa by means of largo syphons. At Jera there is a telegraph
office instituted with the object of regulating the supply of water
to the Etawah and Bhognipur branches. The area commanded
lies in Shikohabad, where it irrigates the duab, from 3 to 9 miles
wide, of the Sirsa and .Tamna rivers. The maximum normal
discharge of this branch with the full gauge of 7 feet at the he^
is 1,200 cubic feet per second. The starting level of the bed, viz.
the fioor of the regulating head at Jera, is 637’63 feet above
mean sea level. The width of the canal bed varies from 52 feet
at head down to 46 feet at the 38th mile, whore it leaves the
district. The slope of the bed is 1 in 7,600 throughout with a
fall of 1*75 feet in the 25th mile, known as the Bhandri fall, and
another of 2 feet, in the 29t!i mile, known as the Surajpur fall.
The Ubti distributary, the most important in the reach, takes off
on the right of the canal between the I9th and 20th miles, with
a full discharge of 93 cubic feet per second, and runs in a south-
easterly direction. The two other distributaries in the district
are the Ahmadpur, taking off on the left bank in the 25th mile
with a discharge of 28 cubic feet per second, and the Bhadan,
with Ujrai minor, taking off on the right a furlong beyond the
28th milestone, with a discharge of 41 cubic feet per second.
These distributaries run, according to the present arrangements, *
two weeks in three, and their aggregate full discharges ought to
irrigate 21.646 acres in the rabi season each year. The actual
maximum irrigation hitherto effected in two seasons of one year
amounted in 1905-06 to 35,363 acres out of a commanded
area of 95,748 acres. In other words, 37 per cent, of the
commanded area has come under irrigation. The Ubti
distributary has lately been remodelled, and the other two are
being similarly treated, with the object of making them work
absolutely without closure of their outlets, an importanC point
in the working of a canal. There are bridges at Gaheri, Musta-
fabad^ Darapur Baseni, Jajumaij Kateua Harsai Naiyamaii
'ij
Main^ri DistrioL
of surface caused by the greater or less elevation of the river
beds and by the sand ridges, and the general disposition of the
drainage differs somewhat in different portions of the district.
In the central tract, which lies highest, the main drainage
arteries are the lean and the Arind. The bed of the former has
a somewhat greater fall than that of the latter. In their course
through the west of the district the Isaii is only 4-7 feet below
the Arind, but opposite Mainpuri the difference has increased to
16‘46 feet, and at Tarha to 16*68. Tlie Bewar branch canal,
running through the north of the central tract, follows the water-
shed of the Kali and Isan rivers, and most of the drainage in
this north-eastern portion now falls into the Isan and not into
the Kali Nadi. 8outh of the central tract the natural drains arc
the Arind and the Sengar, and the Etawah canal, which keeps to
the watershed as far as Gangsi, does not interfere with t!iem up
to that point. But from this point southwards there is an impor-
tant change in the level of the country which leads to the develop-
ment of a series of now drainage linos. Pargana Karhal has
been seriously affected by the canal. The Arind has now to
• carry off a portion of the water w^hich formerly fell into the
Sengar. The Kankan and Katbhanpur drainage, which for-
merly joined it, is now impeded by the Gangsi and Bansak
rajhahasj and has to find its way as best it can into the Arind.
The drainage area of the Puraha, though not obstructed by the
canal, is so uniformly levol and has such a gentle slope that it is
hardly more than a chain of pools and only runs as a stream in
the jains. To the west of the Sengar the drainage naturally falls
into the Sengar and Sirsa with the latter’s tributary the Aganga.
South of the Bhognipur Canal the drainage lines slope towards
the Jamna ravines. The Kali and Isan and their catchment
basins all belong to the Ganges system, and all the other rivers
to that of the Jamna.
Orainaga These natural drainage lines have been to a great extent
interfered with by the canals, and resort has therefore been had
to artificial channels. It will be most convenient to consider
in connection with the various canals. In the central
tractj, ‘where the Cawnpore branch follows the watershed of the
Isan imd Arind, several artificial channels have been made to
AgriOViUWi (Md OOVMMVCCt
Araunj,8hikohabad,A8wa,Bhaiidri,Amhaur, Surajpur, Jahmai,
Bhadan and Khondar Ajnaura, and a syphon at Bhogpur.
The Upper Ganges Canal (Etawah branch) under the Aligarh
division waters a few villages in Mustafabad from the Katana OanaL
Nali, and Pilakhtar distributaries. There is one bridge at
Suraya, and a drainage work, the Sengar Nadi improvement.
More than half the irrigation of the district, as has «
already been observed, is still carried on from wells, but tho .
area dependent on this source of irrigation has materially
declined, only 274,530 acres being now watered from wells
as against 328,400 at the last settlement. This decrease is
entirely confined to earthen wells, as the number of masonry
wells in the district has nearly doubled in the same period.
/When canal water is available it is naturally taken, and the ,
recurrent labour and expense of excavating tho short-lived
earthen well are avoided, though there is a generally prevailing
belief, for which scientific justification can perhaps be found., in
tho superior fertilizing qualities of well water. This is particu-
larly the case in regard to wells in the near neighbourhood of old
villa<re sites, which probably absorb a good deal of ammonia,
nitrates and other salts by drainage. The nona clay, which
is well known to be a great fertilizer, is habitually collected by
cultivators from old village sites and used in combination with
manure On the other hand, the natural soils and strata some-
times impart properties the reverse of beneficial to well water
For instance, in the large fctonw or bitter tract in Mustafabad
cultivators eagerly embrace any chance offered of availing
themselves of canal irrigation, although the subsoil 18 good and
firm and wells can be easily and cheaply constructed, and last
for years. Besides rendering tho earthen well unnecessary in
its iighbourhood the canal has in many places, Pa'^Jicularly
in the sandy tract, made it impossible by saturation of the sub-
soil, which causes the sides of the well to fall m, and makes
unsupported excavations to any depth impracticable. By far the
greaLt number of earthen weUs is found
abad in the south-west of the district, where the soil is firm, and
ttilies at an average depth of forty f.t from the surfa.,
while parganaBarnahal is almost entirely irrigated from them.
%
General Features.
21
iuduce the obstructed drainage to fall into one or othor of these
rivers. To the left bank of the canal arc cuts at Bharera (in Etah),
Satliiii Dalippur, Nagla Gulal (Karaoli), Nagla Gulabi (Nagla
Achal), Kaihar (Sobhanpur), Pusena, Bhaiiwat, Singhpur (Mohdi-
pur), and Ajitganj, loading into the Isan. The second of these
acts slowly and is incapable of carry ing off flood water while
the Isan is in spate, to the occasional detriment of the country-
side. On the other bank drains have been dug at Pachawar,
Kustampur, Kasardh, Chinari, Nagla Sujanpur (Bhanwat) and
8athgawan into the Arind, which has been widened near Gopal-
pur and Urosar in connection with tho Arind Nadi improvement.
Tiiero are two syphons under tho Tarha distributary, and along
the Etawah branch, especially in the south-eastern portion, a
considerable amount of artificial drainage has been found neces-
sary. There are drainage cuts at Jodhpur (Farida Paindhat),
Patikra, Kusiari, Jarari (Kosma), I)i]>rauli, Sikaudarpur Patara,
and Gangsi, into the Arind, and at Koson, Jawapur, Agrapur,
Urthan, Nitaoli, Begampur, and Karhal into the Sengar. There
are also numerous syphons on the distributaries of this branch.
The Bhoguipur branch below Jera (Eka) crosses by syphons the
Sengar at Yaghmurpur Pabrai, tho Senhar at Dihuli, and the
Sirsa at Araunj near Shikohabad. Near Raseni the Sengar has
been improved, this work being maintained by the Aligarh
division, and two cuts on cither side of the canal join the river
at its crossing. The B’logpur and Fatchpur Katena drainage is
syphoned under the canal at the 12th mile and flows northward
into the Sengar. There is a small drain at Chhichbamai near
Shikohabad falling into the Sirsa on its right bank and on tho
left bank is the Nagla Balua drain. Tho Aonri and Dundiamai
drains fall into the Nandia ravine at Siarmau Ram Lai and tho
Kesri drain meets the same ravine in Fatehpur Karkha, whence
their drainage falls into the Jamna, cutting with disastrous effect
through tho fertile bkagna of Punchha. From Bhandri eastwards
the country along the main canal suffered severely from water-
logging in the wet period culminating in 1894 and numerous
drains have been dug to give relief and prevent the growth of
reh, which seems to have been unknown prior to the construction
of this canal.^ On the north of the canal are the Sanypari
Methods
of making
and work*
ing wells»
To the east of the district where the water level rises to ten or
fifteen feet from the surface, the soil is unfavourable to the
construction of such wells that they require constant renewal.
In the central tract many have been destroyed by percolation
from the canals.
The masonry well is called huan and an unlined earthen
well Icuiyan. There are several kinds of masonry wells in use in
the district, some being of block kankar {silici)^ either with lime
mortar or fjara or mud, others of brick, burned or sun baked,
and also the (jand or gurh well.
The kankar well, which is practically everlasting, varies
in cost according to the depth at which water is found, but can
scarcely be made for less than Rs. 200. The small g trh well is
formed of huge bricks, four or five of which placed together ^
make up a circle leaving an aperture barely suflBcient to allow
of the lowering of a bucket. This typo of well is only used
when the water is at no groat distance from the surface, and is
inexpensive, costing only from Rs. 25 to Rs, 60, but lasts only
10 or 12 years.
Most masonry wells arc spring wells resembling generally
the ordinary spring wells found throughout the alluvial plains
of the Indo-Gangetic Valley. The sub-soil, after cutting
through the upper arable soil, is generally found to be composed
of alternate layers of different thicknesses of sand and hard
clay with or without kankar. At a certain depth, averaging
usually from 20 to 30 feet, the percolation level {chnan) is reached
where the soil is moist throughout the year and where water
tends to collect slowly in an open excavation, and may
suffice for the supply of small water lifts such as dhenklis or
even for one bucket {charsa) of a bullock lift worked slowly.
Wells so constructed are percolation wells, and are generally
unprovided with a masonry cylinder owing to their temporary
nature. Sometimes percolation wells are constructed in river
beds as well as in ordinary soil. A percolation well is usually
sunk down into the first sandy stratum below the percolation
level and the difficulty is to chock the tendency of the saturated
sand of that stratum to enter the well, choking it, and causing
subsidence of the sides, and ultimate collapse of the well. The
Mainpuri District
Wmks
•nd.
Ahmadpur, Chirhaoli and Baclihemai drainage cuts flowing into
the Sirsa, and an the south flowing into the Patsui Nala are. the
Patsui, Ujrai, Jahcinai, Amhaur, liajaura, Bachhernai, JSfagl&Tal,
Alampur Jhapta, Lahtai, and Maolihela (Galpura) drains. There
are syphons under the Ahmadpur, Hurajpur, Khonrai Bhadan^
Ujrai, Uhti, Nain, and llanwantkhera distributaries, and a
syphon under the main canal at Aswa. On the Bowar branch
there are drains into the Kali Nadi at Panwahi, in connection
with the iSaraiya (8arai Latif) escaije, Walipur, Sirsa, Lahra,
Bilon, Rajwana, ( hauinajhi, Bowar, Sakat Be>var, Bajhora,
Todavpur and Janaura. The last named used to pass under the
Nigoh distributary through mauza Nabiganj, but some years ago
this channel was stopped owing to the damage done, but it will
be re- opened shortly. On the right bank flowing into the Isan or
its tributaries are cuts at Eampura (flowing into the Kak),
Sultanganj (connected with the Chhachha Nala), Bajhera (run-
ning parallel to and west of the Etawah-Parrukhabad road),
and Arjunpiir. A project has been originated to divert the Kak
Nadi under the Bowar branch at Kuraoli, with a view to mitigate
the floods in the Isan valley, particularly at Mainpuri, where
parts of the town and civil station were submerged in October
1903. The Lower Ganges canal has a drainage cut at Sarabpur
(Eka), draining Idea, Uresar, and the neighbourhood, syphoning
under the canal at Sarabpur and joining the Arind between
Uresar and Eka. It also crosses tlio Arind by a syphon. The
civil station of Mainpuri lias t^YO drains, carrying the water from
two depressions near the police lines into the Isan, and a third
drain connects with these two on the Bhongaon road. These
drains are controlled by the Collector, and not the Canal depart-
ment, as is the case with all the other drains described above.
The area of non-culturablc land in the district recorded at
the recent settlement is 336,467 acres as against 347,600 acres at
the last. Of this 13,434 acres wore classified as village site'^,
36,870 acres as covered with water and the rest as otherwise
barren. At the previous settlement the area shown as village
site was 13,096 acres, while that covered by water was 21,142-
acres. The decrease in the total barren area is perhaps to be
attributed, like the cori'esponding decrease in the total area^ to
65
AgrtouUnrt a^* Commerce.
V
sides of the well have therefore to be supported, and at the same
time provision has to be made for admitting water free of sand
as far as possible, but as it is impossible entirely to keep
sand from entering the well through the bottom and sides
when drawn upon the well becomes useless after a compa-
ratively short time, the length of which varies according to the
supply taken from it, and the nature of the sub-soil. Simi-
larly a masonry well sunk as far as the percolation level only and
resting on sand will ultimately bo undermined and collapse or
break and in either case be rendered useless, and therefore it does^
not pay to invest in such a w ell, so that percolation w’ells are
generally unliiied with masonry and are of a temporary nature.
masonry well is therefore sunk through the first w^ater-bearing
sand down to at least as far as the next hard stratum {inoUt or
gharra) which is impermeable to w^ater, and embedded thereon
carefully so as to exclude all water and sand. The w’ell having
been emptied and proved to be w ater tight, a hole is drilled through
the mold with a crow-bar or spear and whaler is admitted from
the sandy stratum underneath, whence it is forced up into the W’ell
by hydrostatic pressure, varying according to the depth of the
Tinotd and other factors. This is called striking the ^sot^ov
spring and such wells are called sub-artesian. Owing to the
extreme flatness of the alluvial plain no true artesian w^ells are
to be found, at any rate in this district, and the water ultimate-
ly .reaches a level averaging from 20 to 30 feet below the
ground level, approximating to the percolation level. After
the spring has been struck and the well used, the sand of the sub-
jacent water-bearing stratum tends to come into the w’ell for
a short time until a water cavity is formed under the mold
sufficiently wide and deep to maintain equilibrium of the parti-
cles of sand forming its sides, for in proportion as the cavity
grows wider less water flows past each particle until the sand no
longer tends to be carried along with the water into the well.
The size of the particles of sand in this subjacent stratum
affects the supply; if they are minute they check the supply,
and if large and granular they give a freer passage to the water*
The thickness of the mola is an important factor inasmuch as
it forms a support for the well cylinder. If it is not strong
66
Mcdnpuri- District,
I
enough to support the cylinder over the water cavity, the well
will collapse and become useless, but usually a thickness of b or
7 feet is sufficient for a four-bucket well, provided of course
thatthemoiaisof a firm consistency and free of friable soil.
The best kind of 'mota is one that has hard IcanUr nodules
mixed with the clay and is imposed on a coarse bed of sand.
If the wota is too thin or weak it is necessary to sink the
cylinder on to the next firm mota. If the mota is absent or
inefficient the well is a failure as a spring well, but the district
is now provided with a well-borer under the Agricultural Depart-
ment who has his time occupied chiefly in remedying existing
wells, and also to a less extent in making trial borings for new
wells If the mota is absent.or defective the bottom of the well
is plugged and through it a pipe is sunk to the next efficient mota. ^
The expense of an iron pipe is very little, and a well may raw
on a deep and therefore reliable water supply at a cost of about
Rs 60 or so, instead of being sunk in the usual laborious
fashion at a cost of perhaps ten times that amount. The Isau
and Kali Nadi valleys in the northern sandy tract constitute
practically the only parts of the district where the mota is deficient
or absent at ordinary depths. The method of sinking the
cylinder {gola) is to construct first a wooden cylinder {jakan)
which is inserted in the excavation above percolation level and
rests on a wooden frame {ralch). The latter frequenUy extends y
beyond the cylinder for 18 inches. The cylinder is built up'
on the raM until in some cases it projects beyond the ground
surface. Sufficient weight for sinking, having thus been procured,
the rakh is carefully undermined, the wet soil and water being
drawn out as required. When the mota is reached the inter-
stices between the rakh and the mota are packed with kankar,
hemp and molasses, making the cylinder water-tight. The well
is then finished off by striking the spring and completing its
upper portion. In earthen non-masonry weUs where sandy
water-bearing strata are met the sides are lined with rope-like ^
coils of twigs pegged down layer by layer, such a well being
caUed a him well, and resembling the other variety of earthen
well called hitd/ijar, which is protected by a frame-work o!
stakes interwoven with twigs of arhar, cotton or tamwisku
AfftiovUvire und Oowmeree.
67
i
a Wi well. aUo cUed a g^rari er “““f “
circular lioiag ol slakes on which planks are nailed and «rm y
tatcned together with iron clamps. Where ‘h«
sist, o£ a Urm white clay (moto) the or nnhued well ca
he miulo and will often last as long as 20 years, and rn fact ono
such weU has been in use for nearly 100 years. Tko'e w ■
M be met within the south of pargana Shikohabad, but else-
where the life of an earthen well is from one to two years, but
a, their cost averages from 11s. 10 to Rs. 12 in
they are made they ate readily renewed a, reimrcd. At the samo
time it must bo stated that the tendency to replitee carlhe^
by masonry wells is growing, even in places where earthen we
dmw from springs. When the drawing of water from a wcl
i, first started the water surface sinks rapidly until it
the resistane. in the watei-learing stratum, wlie.-enpon tto
incoming water begin, to balance the ontimt and maintain
a constant level. It may happen, especially in year, of
drought when the sub-soil water has sunk, and in places
where the «.(« is comparatively near the surface of the ground
that the water surface may sink so much as to leaio too
little water for filling the bucket. Short of her
lower spring, such a well will have to bo worked "'only, or
aWoned.^The majority of Hwing wells however av^-h
a copious supply that they can lie ^ the
bullock, continnonsly, two pair, on one Sid. “
opposite side; very few spring wells are to Im found that do not
X water enough for at least two pair, of bn locks, and m
place. 0 or 8 bucket, can be used. ^ *onr-bnckct well is on^
" ith 4 intir. or too. (bnlloek runs) and is gen^y wot
than 8 feet in diameter. The Persian wheel {rahAt) ib ^ver
J this dUtnet neeanso of it. bnlkinee. and/or
efficiency, and the ordinary water-lift is the pur
W toiet bag eontalning a. a ralo 26 gaUons, ^
iTholal way, by a pair of Wloeks y.^to onee^
„po to the ether end of whieh i. “'“"'■f
block, driven by the driver advance np the
of the run towards the weU letting the bag down, the ^
passing oyer a pulley fghiri or cUrhhi)} when the ftg
Mainpuri District.
68
they return, descending into the naichi or pit at the end of the
run as far as the hahoro or turning point at the end. The
pur is caught and emptied on reaching the well brink by a man -
named pur hi and parcha or parchawalaj and the water is dis-
tributed in the fields by the pan-laga or pan-lcata. Thus three
men are employed on one bucket, but two pairs of bullocks on
one side of a well can be worked with one driver and one purhi.
The pulley is supported generally on a forked tree-trunk (kaur
or kuhar)y to which its axle Is held by pegs. The whole of this
apparatus is portable, and removed when required, the pulley
and axle being always taken away every evening after work.
More rarely the pulley is attached by uprights to a cross beam
(mair) resting on earthen or masonry pillars. With a depth of
26 feet (a very general depth) one 25-gallon bucket (the usual ’
capacity of a chccrsa) will give 30 gallons to the minute or 300 j
cubic feet per hour, or 2,400 cubic feet per working day of 8
hours.
With the dhenkli the heavy 2 >'ior is not employed but only
a lighter vessel of earthenware. This simple device is of the
standard pattern, consisting of a long lever or beam (dhenkli),
working on an axle fixed in a low forked post (manjha) as
fulcrum, with its short end heavily weighted with lumps of clay
(chakhu hat or thua). To the extremity of the long end is
fastened a rope (barari), to which is attached the bucket
(karwara). The cultivator, taking hold of the rope, pulls on it
and lowers the bucket into the well or tank; then, releasing his
hold, allows the weight at the other end to fall and draw up the
water. The vessels used ordinarily hold about two gallons, so
that the process is both slow and laborious. Often, however,
cultivators will club together and have five or six dhenJdie at
work at the same place, at the same time, pouring all the water
into a common channel. This both saves labour, as only one
man is needed to distribute it to the several fields, and also
avoids much loss by percolation and evaporation. The area ^
irrigated by a well varies very considerably with the nature of the
well and the character of the soil. It is usual for masonry wells
to have as many as 3 or 4 laos, or runs, while earthen wells have
seldom more than one. Actual measurements made in a dry
AgricuUwe and Commerce.
year in pargatia Kuraoli, where the soil tends to be sandier than
most, showed that on the average each lao of a masonry well
with a 20-feet lift could irrigate annually 5 acres; each run of
an earthen well, fed by the spring, nearly 4 acres ; while the
^ percolation well commanded about 2| acres, and the dhenJdi
only a little over one acre. These estimates are probably rather
below than above the mark.
About 8 per cent, of the irrigation of the district comes from Other
^ r I • ^ A r\r\f\ Bouroe*
tanks and rivers, the actual area being some 4U,UUU acres.
The contribution of the rivers to this total is a small one, the
Isan and the Arind being the only ones whose water is of much
service, and even their usefulness is mainly confined to the upper
reaches, though dams are made lower down for this purpose (see
the article on rivers in Chapter I). As a rule, the steepness and
height of the banks and the scanty supply of water in the season
when it is most wanted militate against any extensive employ-
ment of the rivers for this purpose ; while the bed of the stream,
and its khadir or tarai on either side, stand in no need of irriga-
tion, thanks to the thorough saturation already received by the
soil during the rains. To bring the water from the jhUs or
tanks on to the land the dhenkli is employed where practicable,
but more often it is baled out and thrown up by hand. The
method is simple. A large, flat basket called lahnri {Leri) or
benri (beri), about 16 inches across and a few inches deep, is the
implement. Four ropes are attached to this and hold by four
men, two on each side. A largish hole is dug at the head of the
water channel, which may be as much as five feet above the
tank, though usually less, and another directly below it in the
bed of the tank. These holes are protected from erosion, the
upper one with a bundle of straw or grass and the lower with
bricks. The men dip the lahnri into the pool and then swing it
up, throwing the water into the prepared basin. The work is
hard, and two shifts of four men each are required to carry it on
k continuously. Sometimes the basket is replaced by a leather bag
r of similar shape, but about double the capacity, called a paroha or
dd. It is not uncommon to see water being raised more than
one stage in this manner, and two sets of men working tandem-
fashion, one behind the other : in some cases the dhenUi is made
60
Main^ri District
Famines.
use of for the final lift. Latterly the Agricultural Association
of Mainpuri has been pushing chain pumps as supplied by the
Agricultural Department, to replace the basket lift, and one or
two 16-feet pumps have been successfully used on the Kali Nadi, j
where the lift is about 12 feet. Hitherto no one has installed a
power plant, but there is no doubt that they will be adopted in
time, not so much on the Jumna, Kali Nadi or Isan as in
ordinary wells in the interior, whore the springs and sub-soil
strata are satisfactory and tho irrigable area is ample. Along
the rivers there is little need for irrigation in normal years.
Chain pumps will no doubt bo brought into voguo by the Irriga-
tion department for raising water from distributaries, but the
supply in tho ordinary village channels is not sufficient to supply
these pumps, which at low .depths draw from two to three times ^
tho amount given by the basket lift at a similar expenditure of
labour. Tho gallonagc per minute of a basket lift is 76 and of {
a 6 -foot chain pump 150, as compared with 30 gallons given by
the ordinary bullock lift.
There are no records of tho famines which afflicted the dis-
trict in tho eighteenth century or before it, but its position leaves
no room for doubt that it must have shared in the great droughts
that devastated all Hindustan in 1770 and 1783; unprotected as
it then was it must have suffered the full violence of those
visitations. During the early years of the nineteenth century a
succession of droughts and famines afflicted the whole Duab. In 4
the early part of 1803 the crops wore much injured by hail-
storms; and tho rains failed altogether about tho middle of
August, after a few scanty falls. This resulted in the almost
total loss of the Icharif harvest, a calamity followed by the failure
of the winter rains, and consequent partial loss of the rabi.
The distress was groat and widespread, and, though to some extent
relieved by largo suspensions of revenue and fair harvests in
1806-6, left the country in no position to face another untimely
cessation of the monsoon in August 1806 and another unproduc-
tive kharif. 1810 and 1812 were also years of drought, and itt^
ISlS-ld the scarcity was serious enough to deserve the name of
famine, though not so sorely felt in Mainpuri as in some of the
neighbouring districts. There were several seasons of drought
Agrie¥Mwe and Oommerce,
between 1814 and 1837, but it was not till the latter year that
the district again experienced a really severe famine. In 18o8
Mr. K. N. C. Hamilton reported after visiting Farrukhabad :
“ Mainpuri was in a somewhat worse state. The parganas
which the road traversed were barren and parched, the crop m
the ground stunted and light and no appearance of any kharif
having been reaped, but towards and in Sirhpura (now in the ]t,tah
district) the cultivated area seemed much impimved.” Captain
Wroughton, the surveyor, writes of his visit during the preceding
year (1837) to Etah, Kuraoli, Shikohabad and (Jhiror that,
whereas in ordinary years a cultivator with one plough tills 40
bighas (rather under 20 acres), of which one-half is irrigable, this
year none of the dry area was cultivated and only four-fifths of the
wet. The hernias, as usual, assisted tlio cultivators with seed, but
when they saw the unfavourable nature of the season, they refused
to advance grain for subsistence until the new crops were ready.
The consequence of this may bo imagined. “The cultivators
neglected their sowings, which perished, and multitudes of them
fled to other parts of the country, where reports led them to con-
template a more promising state of affairs.” Kuraoli was much
worse off than Etah, its soil being chiefly hhur or sand. The
irrigated area was much smaller than in previous years, and
fodder was only procured with the greatest difficulty. One- a
of Mustafabad was in a passable state, tlie wet cultivation show-
' ing an increase of about 25 per cent, on previous years. But the
condition of the other half to the south-west was deplorable,
and from a rapid survey Captain Wroughton estimated that it
could not have more than one-quarter of the normal amount of
wet cultivation. In both Mustafabad and Shikohabad there was
no dry cultivation whatever, and fodder in the shape of grass
was not procurable. Numbers of cattle perished from want of food
and water, for in the country towards the Jamna the depth of
the water from the surface rendered the raising of it in sufficient
L quantities too laborious to be practicable. In Ghiror there WM
an increase in the wet area of fully 25 per cent., but no dry til-
lage Captain Wroughton writes Though the cattle have,
genially speaking, not died, the hot wind ^
out, for oven in working now their limbs bend uftder the
62
^Main^ri District,
shadow of a carcase. Grass is to be had, but is still extremely
difficult to procure, and when obtained, if I may say so, contains j
as much nutriment as rc'jocted rope-yarns, and is beyond the j
masticating powers of any animal that I am acquainted with, ^
save and except a hungry Diiab bullock.’^ The efiTocts of this
famine were seen, not only in untillcd fields, in the loss of men
and cattle, and the deterioration of the working power of the
survivors, but also in the violent changes which took place in the
constitution of the existing social body. As will be seen here-
after, very many of the transfers of land which subsequently
took place owed their origin to the indebtedness caused by this
famine, and the usurious interest charged by the hanias on loans
for the purchase of seed and the necessaries of life, and it was
many years before the district recovered from the check then ji
given to its prosperity. The remissions of revenue for the two
years amounted to Rs. 72,931, and the net balance at the close
of 124G fasti (1838-39 A.D.) amounted to Rs. 4,09,804 on the
district as it then stood. The next famine came in 1860-1, and
found the district officers better prepared to deal with it. The
Shikohabad road was taken in hand and gave daily employment
to 4,000 persons while the distress lasted. A sum of Rs. 30,874^
(including Rs. 2,350 from local subscriptions) was placed at the
disposal of the local committee, and of this Rs. 29,665 were
expended in relieving a daily average of 4,605, or a total of ^
690,173. This does not include the sums spent on relief works,
the Rs. 20,113 advanced to cultivators for seed and cattle, the
greater part of which was never recovered, or the portions of the
balances of land revenue, amounting to Rs. 1,06,421, which were
subsequently remitted. The drought of 1868-9 caused little
suffering in the district. During August 1868 the Collector
anticipated that his district would be the centre of an enormous
famine tract, but fortunately the rainfall in September came in
time to save the district from ruin, and the eventual outturn of
the spring crop was estimated at about three-fourths of the ^
average. Prices were kept high by the export of large supplies
of grain to Central India.
In 1877 the rains failed almost entirely, only 2-9 inches
falling instead of over thirty as in normal years. Less than a
1877 - 8 .
THa People.
86
1 0('0, Dhanuk 1,136. The difference between the three highest
and the three lowest castes here is striking. And it is worthy of
remark that the Ahirs are a caste of which some sections at least
were formerly prone to infanticide.
The returns of 1901 show that Hindus preponderate to an
overwhelming extent. Of the total of 829,357, no less than
774 GOO or 93 4 per cent., are Hindus in the strict sense. Mu-
hammadans number only 47,794, or 5-76 per cent., Jains 6,318,
Aryas 1,250, Christians 353, and Sikhs 42. The distribution by
tahsils and police circles will be seen in the tables given in the
appendix. ^ .
The Musalmans are mainly congregated in a few villages,
largely at and about Qasba Shikohabad and villages in the
vicinity, such as liapri, which, like Shikohabad, was once tho
seat of a Musalman dynasty. Tho iMusalman population has
increased at a somewhat more rapid rate than the Hindu, as is
usually the case, the respective percentages being 15 and 9.
Tho different Musalman scots have varied in numbers in a
remarkable way in the last thirty years. In 1872 tho Shaikhs
numbered 20,851 ; they arc now only 8,0G7. Saiyids show a
slight increase, from 2,689 to 3,094; but Fathans, again, have
diminished from 11,195 to G,579. The real increase has taken
place in the sects which in 1872 were lumped together without
specification to the total of 5,921. Dhuniyas, for example, alone
now nearly equal this total, the return giving 6,248 of them, an
increase of over 2,000 since 1891. Their primary occupation is
the carding of cotton by vibration of a bowstring ; but they al^so
go in to some extent for shopkeeping on a small scale. Another
sect that now constitutes an important fraction of tho Musalman
population is that of the Faqirs under their vafious denomma-
tions of Jogi, Ghazi, Turkiya and Eegar. They mustered 5,692
members. The Bihishtis with 3,475, the Bhangis or sweepers
with 2,419 and the Qassabs or butchers with 2,340 representa-
tives apiece, are, unlike the last, not only oi^cal
importance, but indispensable to the community, Julahas,
or weavers, contribute 2,274 to the total, and the KunjrM, or
Mewa-farosh, whose business, as their name implies, is the sale
of fruit and garden produce, can count 1,421. Other sects are
BoligionB*
Musal*
mans*
MaMi'puri District.
Jains and
Aryas,
Christian-
ity.
’86
the Manihars, who work in glass and tinfoil, particularly in the
decoration of the glass bangles which are among the few arts and
crafts of the district, and whose numbers have risen from 1,032
in 1891 to 1,397 in 1900 ; the Bhatiyaras, properly speaking the
keepers of inns and cook-houses, and tobacconists, but also
fishermen, who number 1,131 ; the Banjaras, of whom there are
841 of the Musalman faith, formerly the carriers of India, who,
now that the advent of railways and metalled roads has rendered
their system of bullock transport to a great extent obsolete, have
taken to cultivation and cattle-dealing and have an evil reputa-
tion for dacoity and other viohmt crimes ; and the Rangrez or
dyers, who have increased from 193 to 712 during the decade.
As usual ill India, the vast majority of the Musalmans are of
the Sunni persuasion, only 392 men and 379 women being
returned as Shlas.
The figures for Jains exhibit a slight falling off since 1891,
when there wore 6,760 of them in the district. They are most
numerous in Mustafabad, though both Mainpuri and Shikohabad
show a good proportion of the total. The Arya Samaj, on the
other hand, has, here as elsewhere, made remarkable strides.
. In 1891 there were only 326 of them ; there are now 1,260.
Nearly half of this total live in the Bhongaon tahsil, the remain-
der being pretty evenly distributed through the vlhor tahsils, with
the exception of Karhal, which has only 36.
In 1881 the number of Christians stood at 146, in 1891, at 132,
and in 1901 at 363. The American Presbyterian Mission of
Mainpuri dates back to November 1843, when the Rev. J. L. and
Mrs. Scott took over from Dr. Guise, the Civil Surgeon, a boys^
school he had recently started. The school grew rapidly, and in
1866 Mr. Freeman erected at a cost of Rs. 6,000, subscribed from
: all parts of India, a new^ school building. During the Mutiny
the missionary’s house and the chapel were plundered and burned,
and the grounds appropriated by the Raja of Mainpuri, who,
however, preserved the school building, using it as a court of
. justice. In 1868 the mission reocenpied its premises and rebuilt
the chapel and house. The mission expanded rapidly, there
being built by 1872 one more residence, 10 girls’ schools and a
normal school, and in 1882 a church was built in the city netar
The People^
87
the Lane tank. In 1883 the boys’ school was made a high school,
the only high school in the district till 1908, Training classes
were provided for teachers in 1902. The church in the city was
disposed of in 1908 as being unsuitable, and the school building
is now used for worship. The present staff consists of two mis-
sionary families, four ordained native ministers, three catechists,
twenty-six men teachers, eight women teachers and three Bible
women at work in Mainpuri, Shikohabad, Jasraua, Kuraoli,
Bhongaon and Bowar, and surrounding villages. Ten years ago
the baptised community numbered less than 1 50 ; to-day (1909)
it is about 2,500.
The American Methodists have some work in and about
Shikohabad and Kuraoli, with headquarters at Shikohabad.
The main body of Native Christians is drawn from the sweeper
and Charaar castes.
In Mainpuri, as in the provinces generally, the great major-
ity of Hindus were merely recorded as such, without any further
specification of religious denomination. And it is obvious that
an illiterate population of agriculturists, like the Hindus of
Mainpuri, is not likely to have a very acute appreciation of the
subtle distinctions of theoretical Hinduism. From a certain
number, however, the questions of the enumerators elicited defi-
nite replies, and the more important classes into which these fall
may be mentioned. It appears that about 3 per cent, of the Hindu
population declared themselves ‘^Monotheistic,” between 2 and
3 per cent, were recorded as Vaishnavitos and rather more than
1 per cent, as Baivites. The worshippers of Panchon Pir were
slightly more numerous than the Saivites.
The only other sects with any following worth notice were
the Lingaits with 8,025 believers, the Kabir Panthis with 2,193
and the Nanakshahis with 2,843. But if the sects are few, the
castes are many, no less than 100 being represented in the dis-
trict if we include sub-castes, while 209 persons who styled
themselves Hindus failed to specify their castes. Sixteen of the
castes have a membership of over 10,000 apiece and together
make up 88*87 per cent, of the total, and thirteen have less than
100 representatives each. There are no castes peculiar to Main-
puri; though there are several, such as the Ahirs and Kahars, who
gg il($inpu’iri Di^rict
are found in greater numbers here than In any other district of
the division.
Ahiw. In point of both numbers and influence the Ahirs come first T
in the agricultural community. Numbering 142,998 they form
18*46 per cent, of the entire population. They belong to the Nand-
bans division of the tribe, and their most numerous gotra is the
Phatak, 83 per cent, of the whole tribe being settled in this
district. These latter claim to be of Rajput origin, being
descended from a Raja of Chitor by a dola marriage with the
daughter of Digpal, Raja of Mahaban, an Ahir. They explain their
name by the legend that when oik^c Chitor was assaulted by the
Emperor of I)ehli, of the twelve gates (pliAtUiJcs) of the city, only
one held out. To commemorate the signal bravery of the guard of ^
the twelfth gate the Raja issued a decree that they and their
descendants should over after be distinguished by the name of
Phatak. The descendants of the Raja and his Ahir lady settled
first at Samohan, whence they gradually spread till they estab-
lished themselves along the banks of the Jamna, and from this
inaccessible stronghold raided the territory to the north, finally
obtaining possession of the whole Sirsa and Jamna duab in
pargana Shikohabad. Until quite recent years the Phatak Ahirs
kept up their ancestral tradition of lawless violence and were a
source of constant anxiety to the district authorities. They were,
besides, thorough recusants in paying land revenue and among
the worst offenders in the matter of female infanticide, a practice
which they probably inherited from their Thakur ancestors.
About the middle of the last century their lawless audacity
culminated in a deliberate attempt to murder the District Magis-
trate, Mr. Unwin, in revenge for the energetic measures he had
adopted for the suppression of infanticide. Mr. Unwin escaped
through a change of plans, but the unfortunate officer. Captain
Alcocks, to whom ho had given up his doli, was killed before the
murderers discovered their mistake. The execution of the ring-
leader, against whom his brother turned approver, exerted a
* salutary influence on the clan, and a steady amendment of
manners has taken place, though they have not yet completely ,
cleared themselves of the suspicionrof making away with their
girl infants. Strangely enough, during the Mutiny, under the
The Peo]^,
8 %
influence of Eahim-ud-din Khan, Tahsildar of Mustafabad,
the Phataks remained for the most part loyal to the government
and aided the Bharaul Ahirs in resisting the rebel llaja ie]
Singh. The Phatak Ahirs are not numerous in the district
except south of the Sirsa. In the Shikohabad tahsil the fifteen
note of the Ahirs form nearly one-fourth of the Hindu popula-
tion, and in all the tahsils but Bhongaon, where they are
slightly outnumbered by both Chamars and Kachhis, they are
the numerically largest caste. There arc no large individual
Ahir zamindar,, but, like thoThakurs, they generally hold their
lauds in communities, which are numerous all over the district,
except in Alipur Patti. The cliief Ahir family in the district is
that of Bharaul, in the north of Shikohabad, whose possessions
have been augmented by grants of villages as rewards for services
in the Mutiny.
Next to the Ahirs in number come the Chamars, of whom Ohamar*.
there were 107,386, or 13-86 per cent, of the total Hindu popula-
tion. Most numerous in Bhongaon, they are pretty evenly
distributed throughout the district in proportion to the popula-
tion of the several tahsils. This is natural in a caste which forms
the bulk of the labouring population and small artizan class.
Owning practically no land they hold as tenants 8-76 per cent,
of the total cash-rented area of the district. Their character as
cultivators varies ; where they are associated with the less
industrious castes, their cultivation becomes equally indifferent;
but where Kachhis or Lodhas or other good milti-vating castes
prevail, the Chamars become but very little inferior to them
and can pay their high rents with ease. » v tr- j WMlAk
Kachhis numbered 68,382, or 8-83 per cent, of the Hindus, Kachhis.
having decreased to some extent of recent years. Most numerow m
Bhongaon and Mainpuri, which between them contain two-thirds
of the community, they are fewest in Shikohabad, where t ey
form only a trifle over 4 per cent, of the total population. As in
other districts they are more successful as cultivators than m
land-owners, excelling particularly in market-gardening. Their
most important local sub-castes are the Kachwahas and Saksenas,
the former claiming descent from the Kachwaha Thak^s by a
slave girl, thedetter attributing their origin to the fmous Buddhist
i
60
Mainpwri Diatriot.
city of Sankisa on the borders of Mainpuri, Farrukhabad
and Etah.
Very close after the Kaehhis come Brahmans, with 68,085
souls, or 8'79 per cent, of the total Hindu population, a very
considerable advance on the figures of 1891, when they mustered
only 66,301. This caste is pretty equally distributed through
the tahsils, being almost exactly 10 per cent, of the total popula-
tion in fehikohabad and Karhal, 7 per cent, in Mainpuri, and 8
per cent, in the other two. They are not only increasing in
numbers but also in importance, coming steadily to the front
both as tenants and owners of laud, and now hold 20-37 per cent,
of the cultivated area of the district. Their villages are gener-
ally well, if not strictly, managed and they are good average
cultivators. One considerable loss to be sot off against the
general gain of the Brahman community in the district is the
almost complete disappearance of the possessions in this district
of the Brahman family of the Chaudhri of Bishangarh (Binsia)
of 3; arrukhabad, owing to spendthrift extravagance, wild litiga-
tion and dishonest management by unscrupulous agents. The
great majority of the Mainpuri Brahmans belong to the Sanadh
subdivision, and trace their descent from the old Chaudhris of
Delhi. The principal settlement of Sanadhs is in Barnahal and
Bhongaon, where they are steadily increasing their already
considerable possessions. Next in importance come the Kanau-
jiyas, deriving their origin, as their name implies, from Kanauj
in Farrukhabad. They furnish a certain number of recruits for
Brahman regiments, and are better agriculturists than most
other Brahman septs, as they are not above driving the plough
themselves, instead of taking only a vicarious part in the opera'
tion. The only other section of the caste which is at all
numerous is that of the Gaurs. Mention may also be made of
the Mathuriyas of Mainpuri town, who are said to have come
here with the Chauhans, and the Bhats and Bbadauris, the last of
whom subsist by begging and are in low repute. The Mathuriya
Ghaubes say that their ancestors Kamalakar and Bikarmajit
were Chaudhris of Muttra in the time of Ala-ud-din Ghori.
They quarrelled with the Musalman Qazi and killed him and so
bad to fly from the country. Bikarmajit fled to the east, but ym
pursued, and in a battle fought at Raya, six miles from Muttra,
his four sons were killed. He escaped to Phavauli in the Etah
district, where he settled, and his descendants adopted the profess-
ion of arms, one of them being a manaabdar of 600 horse in
Aurangzeb’s reign. Many of them took service with the Raja of
Mainpuri, and there has been a large colony o£ them in Mainpuri
itself and other villages belonging to the Raja over since.
Rajputs or Thakurs numbered 67,828, or 8'76 per cent, of Bajputs.
the Hindu population. Their distribution varies from slightly
over 10 per cent, of the total inhabitants in Shikohabad to rather
less than 5 per- cent, in Mustafabad. ihey have increased
largely since the last census, when their total number was only
63,550, but have boon dwindling somewhat in influence audpossess-
ions for a considerable time past. At the last settlement they
owned rather more than half the district, 44 per cent, of the
total number of villages belonging to them, and their villages
being generally the largest. At the recent settlement the per-
centage of area in their possession was 45'71. They are usually
indifferent cultivators and hold their lauds in largo coparcenary
communities, though there are some large proprietors. At the
recent census the Mainpuri Rajputs included representatives of
37 different clans, while over 10,000 were recorded merely as
Rajputs or Thakurs without specification of elan.
First in number as in importance come the Chauhans, form- Bajput
ing 33 per cent, of the whole. One of the four great Agnikula
or fire-born tribes of the Rajputs of the solar line, whose first
eponymous ancestor was created, by the prayers and incanta-
tions of Vasishta, to war against the demons who defiled and
rendered vain the Brahmans’ sacrifice, their genealogical tree
gives thirty -nine princes anterior to Prithiraj, from whom the
Mainpuri Chauhans claim descent. Prithiraj was the last Chauhan
King of Delhi and lost his life and throne in 1193 A.D. after
his defeat at Panipat by Muhammad Shahab-ud-din Ghori. But
the genealogy is contested, and it is probable that the real ^
founder of this branch of the clan was Deo Brahm, a less
distinguished cadet of the same house, who at some time after ;|
the defeat of Prithiraj and the faU of the Chauhan dynasty , Vg
oame whli a numerous following to Bhongaon; and settled do^ :
Kajput
about a mile to the east of that town. Here he built a village,
urbioh was subsequently enlarged and fortified by Pratap Rudra,
tlie fourth in descent from Deo Brahm, after whom it to this day
bears the name of Partappur. This Pratap Rudra is perhaps
the Rai Partap who in the reign of Bahlol Lodi (1450 to 1488)
held Bhongaon, Patiali and Kampil. A strong point in favour
of the identification of this Rai Pratap with Pratap Rudra is that
according to both the genealogists and the Musalman historians
his son’s name was Narsingh Deo, who was assassinated by Darya
Rhan Lodi about 1454 A.D. But these dates make the interval
of nearly 300 years between the death of Prithiraj and the era
of Rai Partap somewhat difficult to bridge. Even the Main-
puri traditions, which give the names of all the princes in the
direct line from Prithiraj to Partap Rudra with the length of
their reigns, fall to account for more than 170 years from the
death of the former to the accession of the latter. So there
must be an “ error in the compute ” somewhere. It is possible,
of course, that “Rai Pratap” may have been a generic term
used by the Musalman writers, notoriously indifferent about
details when discoursing of infidels, to denote the chief of
Bhongaon for the time being. Jagat Man, the eighth in descent .
from Pratap Rudra, Ijransferred his seat from Pratappur to
Mahabatpur or Jagatnagar, which now forms the western suburb
of the town of Bhongaon. He took arms against the aborigind
Chirars, who had, by their lawless habits, become a source cl ^
much aunoyance to the Musalman Government, and, as orm
tradition goes, fell suddenly upon them while congregated wife
their wives and families at a great religious fair at Jamaufa,
and, with the assistance of the Kayasths of Bhongaon, slaughtered
them without distinction of age or sex. According to another ;
tradition, on fee advice of the Kayasths, he invited fee <2hiw**.^
to a least, and, when they were stupefied wife liquOr^^^
combined Chauhan and Kayasth forces attacked and maaaae^|||
femn in cold Wood, filling up fee measure of their; trea«^^
■ by butchering the pregnant women and children. , From
part they acted on this occasion the Bhongaon
aaid to have earned the nickname of ot ttdd
mmmmmmm
took a leading part in the subjugation of these uborigipes and •
thereby gained the favour of the Musalman Government, TvhiJ
at the same time they annexed the extensive possessions of the
Chirars and thus considerably increased their influence. Owing
to subsequent trouble with these Chirars, and probably in dread of
the jealousy which his rising power might excite in the omils,
Jagat Man deemed it prudent to retire from Jagatpur to the
extensive Khera of Asauli, which he had taken from the Chirars,
and there he built a fort and established himself. Not long
afterwards, however, he transferred his headquarters to Mam- .
puri, where, assuming for the first time the title of Raja, he laid
the foundation of the present fort, in which the head of the
family has since resided. No historical facts worthy of notice
J are recorded of the family till the time of Dalip Singh, the fifth
* in descent from Jagat Man, who, in an encounter with Bhun
Khan, an officer of the Farrukhabad Nawab,.wa8 defeated, taken
prisoner and slain. His widows committed sati, an act com.
memorated to the present day in a memorial building. His
successor seems to have revived the prestige of the family, for
in 1749 he is found busy in extending the city and founding
Muhkamganj, now the most populous and commercial quarter
of the town. The name was given in honour of his childlMS
, brother Muhkam Singh. With Sultan Singh, Jaswant Singh s
I successor, the direct line of descent was broken, for he di^
childless, and a collateral relative, Dalel Singh, was summon^
from Angautha, in the Mainpuri pargana, to assume the head-
ship of the clan. He was the reigning Raja at the cession in
1801, and received a khUat and a parwana from Lord Wellesley
in 1803 for his loyalty in attacking and driving off the Marathas
from Shikohabad, and he afterwards rendered good servioo
against Holkar in 1805. He died in 1829 and wm succe^
by his son Raja Ganga Singh, during whose life time »
hh>w was dedt to the fortunes of the house, a protraoM
L during the progress of settlement operations ma& by ,
»^iS. BSa«onetone resulting in the^^^ losing proprn^
i
. 94' Mainpuri J)i8trict.
of Eaja Ganga Singh, his brother Narpat Singh succeeded to
the title, but died after holding it only two years. A dispute
arose as to the succession, which was eventually decided in
favour of his son Tej Singh, to the exclusion of his uncle Zalim
Singh, who appealed to the Privy Council. While the appeal
was pending the Mutiny broke out. Tej Singh rebelled : the Eaj
was confiscated and ultimately bestowed on his cousin Bhawani
Singh, who had remained loyal during the outbreak, though
the title was conferred only ns a personal honour. The present
Eaja Shoomangal Singh, Avhose title was made hereditary on the
25th Juno 1900, is the grandson of Bhawani Singh.
Other Other elans important in this district on account of their
numbers are the Jadon (5,038), the Bais (4,267), the Eathor (4,064),
the Bhadauria (2,727), the Tomar (2,382), the Gaur (2,375), the
Parihar (1,864), the Kachwaha (1,720) and the Dhakra (1,630).
At the 1891 census the Mainpuri Jadons numbered only 1,348,
and the present figures are to be explained by the fact that the
Kirars, whoso claim to bo reckoned as Eajputs was allowed at
this census, have returned themselves as belonging to this sept,
which is styled by Colonel Tod “the most illustrious of all the
tribes of Ind,” and claims descent through the Yaduvansi from
Krishna. The leading Jadon in this district, and the only one
whose claim to kinship is allowed by the Karauli Darbar, is the
Thakur of Phariha Kotla. The family of the Eaja of Awa, which
owns several villages in pargana Mustafabad, is described in full
in the Etah Gazetteer. The Bais Thakurs claim to bo true Tilok-
chandi Bais, who emigrated from Dundiakhera in Baiswara in the
fourteenth century and settled in Bewar, which they colonized.
As far back as 1391-2 A.D. they in concert with the Eathors
created such disturbances here and in Farrukhabad that large
bodies of imperial troops had to be sent out to quell them.
They still own a large number of villages in that pargana and
several also in Barnahal and Shikohabad. Dihuli, the chief
seat in Barnahal, is mentioned in the Tarihh-i~ Muharih Shah as
“the strongest place in the possession of the infidels,” and as
' having been attacked and destroyed in 1420 A.D. by Sultan
TThi^r Khan on his march from Koil to Etawah. Always noted
lor turbulence nnd recusancy, it was probably from them th^
fhJk Peoflt,
96
Akbar met with the resistance at Paraunkh, in pargana Bewar,
which is described in the history. In the Mutiny, again, Ganga
Singh of Dihuli, the recognized head of the family , rebelled, and
'* his property was confiscated. The Rathors are descended from .
an inferior branch of the Kanauj family known as the Dhir
Sah Sakha, and formerly owned a chatorasi (or group of 84
villages) in Kuraoll, Bhongaon, Mainpuri and the neighbouring
pargLas of the Etah district, where they settled after their expul-
sion from Kauauj on the defeat of the celebrated Jai Chaud by
Muhammad Ghori. The Sujrai family, in which the title Chaudhri
is hereditary, is the head of the clan. The Bhadauriyas are
chiefly met with in Shikohabad, where the Raja of Bhadawar in
the Agra district, the head of the clan, owns the two kach-
i har villages of Bhurtar and Kalianpur on the .Tamna, facing
Batesar. °They are revenue-free in perpetuity and are at present
managed by the Court of Wards, d'ho Tomars are scattered over
the district and do not occur in compact bodies with definite
historical associations. They say they come from beyond the
Chambal. The (iaurs arc said to have come from Katehri, and
their story is that the daughter of one of their leaders married
the sou of the Raja of Mainpuri and the clan thereby obtained
eight Ahir villages. The Aliirs, however, say that they took
from the Gaurs live out of twelve villages appropriated by the
latter from the Chirars. The Farihars, who at the 1891 census
numbered only 685, had in the past an unsavoury reputation as
lawless desperadoes, which, however, they no longer deserve.
Legend makes them the first-born of the four Agmkula, whoso
ancestor was found incompetent to w'ar with the demons, and so
placed as guardian of the gate (lVi«/a to (fmfmt^Pharihara).
The Kaehwahas from across the Chambal hold a couple of villages
in pargana Mainpuri and shares in villages in Alipur Patti.
They say they came here in consequence of a marriage with a
member of the Chauhan family of Mainpuri, and the head of their
clan resides at Deopura, close to the city. The Dhakras are
chiefly found in Shikohabad, Barnahal, Mustafabad and Kishni,
where their possessions are now small, though they once owned a
wide territory. They seem to have come from Ajmer early in
the sixteenth century and to have gained a firiq footing in that
Mainpuri District.
j[iOdlias«
line of country now traversed by the East Indian Eailway from
Etawah to Barhan in Jalesar. They were notorious in the
beginning of the eighteenth century for their lawless depreda-
tions and gave the imperial officers much trouble in the neigh-
bourhood of Agra, rendering the communications between that
city and Etawah insecure. Their insubordinate conduct brought
its own punishment, for before the close of the century they had
greatly diminished in numbers and their possessions had dwindled
down to a few scattered villages. Otlicr representatives of great
Eajput clans are the Gautaras, Bacbhals, Eaghubansis, Bargujars
and Gahlots, but neither their numbers nor their influence are
sufficient to warrant detailed description. Mention may, however,
be made of the Tanks, who* are no longer separately recorded in
the census, on account of a remarkable featxrre of their tribal
organization. Originally settled in a cluster of 12^ villages,
called the Sarheharah gaon, round Kosma,in the Ghiror jxargana,
they were always noted for their pi-edatory habits, and in the
reign of Akbar they attacked and plundered an imperial convoy.
As a punishment for this daring robbery one of the two brother
chiefs was carried ofi' to the capital and there compelled to
embrace the Muhammadan religion. Ever since then the family
and property have been divided into two sections, “Kosma
Muslimin ” and “ Kosma Hinud,” and, strangely enough, the head
of the Musalman section is equally looked up to by the whole
Tank community with the head of the Hindu branch, and the
joint headship is fully recognized by every member in all matters
affecting the internal economy of the clan, while the customs of
the converts to Islam still partake greatly of a Hindu character.
Eefcrenee may also be made to the Bhale Sultan tribe on account
of the extraordinary disproportion between the sexes, only 4
males being recorded to 109 females. Ihe Eaja of lirwa, who
is a Baghela Eajput, owns .considerable property in Barnahal
and also the village of Tinraoli in pargana Mainpuri : an account '
of his family is given in the Farrukhabad Gazetteer,
Sixth in numerical importance comes the Lodha caste with
a membership of 47,688, or 6-16 per cent, of the Hindu population.
They are first-rate cultivators and hold 7'46 per cent, of the total
Cf^h-rented area as tenants, and a great deal more as sub-tenants
tf , .
The People,
97
ofThakurs and Brahmans, who cannot so far derogate from
their dignity as to touch a plough. But for all their excellence
as cultivators they are not successful landowners and their pro-
prietary holdings have been steadily diminishing till they now
own only -39 per cent, of the total cultivated area. Like the
Kachhis they claim a Eajput origin, and are probably the off-
spring of Aryan fathers and aboriginal mothers. They are pretty
evenly distributed among the tahsils except in Karhal, where
they only number 1,705.
The Gadariyas, or shepherd caste, are found in Mainpuri to Gadariyw.
the number of 31,785, or 4T0 per cent, of the Hindus in the
district, a small increase on the figures of the previous census.
In addition to the practice of their titular vocation, they have
long since taken to cultivation and now hold 3-38 per cent, of
the cash-rented area. At the 1840 settlement Gadariyas w'ere
among the village communities engaged as biswadars, but they
early lost their rights and sank from proprietors to tenants.
They do not favour any particular portion of the district, but
arc found in all tahsils alike.
The Kahars or Dhiraars, formerly the carriers of palanquins, Kahars.
now cultivators, particularly of water-nuts, and fishermen,
amounted in 1901 to 26,471, or 3-42 per cent of the Hindu popu-
lation of the district. They are chiefly concentrated in the
Bhongaon and Mainpuri tahsils, but about one-third of them
are divided up in almost equal proportions among the other
three. As tenants they hold 1-46 per cent, of the cash-rented
area, but the majority of them are engaged in various pursuits
connected with the water, especially in fishing, of which they
practically have the monopoly, most of the tanks and rivers
being leased out to them.
The great trading and money-lending caste of Banias, with Baniu.
its Mahajau and Marwari sub-divisions, is represented by
22,459 members in this district, less than 3 per cent, of the
Hindu population. Of this total no less than 9,456 are Mahajans,
who in the Mainpuri tahsil outnumber the Banias by more than
four to one. This tahsil also contains almost all the Marwaris,
only nine being found in Bhongaon and one in ICarhaL In this
district as in all others the caste is slowly but surely ousting the
Qg ilfaiitjmri District.
cultivating classes proper from their proprietorship of the land,
though here the process has begun later and develop^ more
slowly than in many places. In 1873 the Banras^ held 4-53 pm-
cent, of the district as proprietors; the percentage m their hands
is now 8-21. This tendency of the land to pass into the hands
of the trading classes is pretty general all over the district, and
only inparganas Kuraoli and Bewar has it been resisted at all
successfully : in the latter case no doubt because until the opening
of the new canal that pargana offered singularly few attme-
tions to the prudent investor. Very few Banias take to cu tiya-
tion as tenants, only -23 percent, of the cash-rented area being
held by this caste. They do not make good landlords. Generally
absentees they regard their villages purely in the light of invest-
ments which are to be made to yield the maximum return possible,
and their management is accordingly strict and merciless.
No other caste is found in numbers exceeding twenty thou-
sand but Koris, Telis, Nais, Barhais, Dhaiiuks, Dhobis and
Kumhars have each over ten thousand apiece. Koris numbered
18 661, an increase of over 4,000 since the previous census, and
wOTe ioxind principally in Bhongaon, though occurring in con-
siderable numbers in all tahsils. They are the Hindu weaver
caste and for the most part follow their traditional avocation,
though some have taken to agriculture and others to masonry
work. The Tells, or oil-pressers, of whom there were 16,496, are
generally regarded as one of the lowest of all castes. In this
district, however, their pretensions are considerable, as they claim
to have originally been Kathors of Kanauj. This claim is not,
however, recognized outside their own community. Their num-
bers have increased by 3,000 during the decade, though the com-
petition of foreign mineral oil has seriously affected their
business and driven many of them to seek new spheres of labour.
The Nais, or barbers, amounted to 16,320, distributed as is
natural pretty evenly over the district. They hold a prominent
place among the village servants, exercising not only the funo-
tions of hair-cutting, shaving and massage, but also, as^ m
eighteenth century Europe, the craft of the physician. In ^di-
tion to all this the Nai is the general village matchmaker and go-
between in matters of marriage and betrothal, while, at a pinch,
The People.
99
if uo Bralimau be available, he will himself officiate at a wedding
or a funeral. Another important village menial, the Barhai, or
carpenter, was represented by 16,279 members. He makes and
repairs the village carts, ploughs and other agricultural imple-
ments, generally receiving a fixed allowance of grain annually as
a salary therefor. The Dhanuks, again, of whom 14,863 were
enumerated, are mostly village servants, the men acting as
watchmen, messengers and musicians at weddings, and the women
as midwives. 4'he men also work as day labourers and some-
times do a litthi cultivation, l>eing occasionally remunerated for
their services with a patch of rent-free land. Two other castes
whose labours are indispensable to the village community
reckoned over 10,000 members apiece— the Hhobis, or washermen,
with 13,721, and the Kumhars, or potters, with 11,890. Next
in number, but much above these in importance, come the
Kayasths with 9,223. Though tliey only make up a little more
than 1 per cent, of the population, they hold as prbprietors 6-43
per cent, of the cultivated area of the district, and formerly owned
a still greater i)art of it. Scattered over all the tahsils they are
probably the descendants of individual adventurers who followed
the fortunes of other invaders and made themselves invaluable
to their masters as scribes and accountants. Under the Musal-
mans several of them Itecamo hereditary qanungos, and they
appear to have gradually converted the assignments of revenue
which remunerated their services into assignments of zamindari,
thus acquiring considerable landed interests. Their descendants
have now largely dissipated the ancestral property by idleness
and sloth, but they still hold large estates in Bhongaon, Bewar,
Alipur patti, Kuraoli, Mainpuri and Shikohabad. In the last-
named tahsil two branches of the clan-one at Madanpur and the
other at Qasba Shikohabad— have well maintained their positions
as zaminda/rs and raieea. The Madanpur branch in particular,
whose head is Lala Madho Narayan, manage their estates well and
are good landlords. They did loyal service in the Mutiny and
received some villages in reward. Most of the patwaris and
qwnungoa in the district are Kayasths, and they fill many other
appotoents in Government service. Other castes with a mem-
betshin of over 6,000 are the necessary Bhangi, the Bharbhunja,
t.
Criminal
tribes.
: ■(
MctinpuH District
or graiu-parcher, that excellent agriculturist the Kurmi, the
Lohar or blacksmith, and the Faqir. The remaining castes
whose numbers exceed 2,000 are Sunars, Darzis, Khatiks, Kadheras,
Bhats, Malis, Tambolis, Luniyas, Kewats and Arakhs. Of
these Kadheras may be singled out for comment as a com-
paratively rare caste, who are found here to the number of 3,030,
nearly all in Shikohabad. They appear to be a sub-caste of
Mallahs, who have abandoned their ancestral occupation as
boatmen for the cultivation of riverain land and now congregate
in the Jamna villages tilling the kachhar soils of the ravines.
Tambolis, again, who grow, and Baris, who soil the pan or
aromatic leaf of the ph^r held, are found here in somewhat
unusual numbers. Of the less numerous castes the Kbattris
deserve mention as, though they muster only 146 members all told,
they yet own 31,925 acres, or 2-98 per cent, of the cultivated
area of the district.
Maiiipuri contains representatives of most of the criminal
and w'andering tribes, though they have as a rule settled down
into more peaceful and law-abiding ways of life. It is true that
neither the Haburah nor the Sansiya figures in the census list,
though the former certainly frequents the district. But this can
bo readily accounted for by the well-known aversion of these
tribes to reveal their identity when questioned — a reticence born of
much police supervision. Most numerous were the Nats, of
whom there were 1,664, the principal gipsy tribe of the provinces,
whose men are often acrobats and rope-dancers, and the women
prostitutes. They practise surgery and physic in a small way
and are adept thieves. The Khangars, of whom only 69 were
enumerated at the previous census, had increased by 1901 to
1 640, a figure which implies either large immigration or some
remarkable change of classification. These, though not exactly a
criminal tribe, are prone to commit theft and burglaries. Some
way behind these were the Basors, who totalled 767, a much
less offensive race than either of the two already mentioned. They
are now settled in villages, mostly in the Bhongaon tahsil, which
contains 622 of them, and earn their living for the most part as
day labourers, keeping pigs and doing a little cultivation as well.
They are a backward tribe of a degraded type, but considerably
The People.
101
reformed in their habits in regard to crime. Next in numbers
and very similar in character to the last come the Pasis, of whom
357 were enumerated, mostly in Shikohabad and Mainpuri, and
after thorn the Berias to the number of 308. This is one of the
worst of all the criminal tribes ; irreclaimable vagrants and
criminals, they wander gipsy-like over the country with no
ostensible means of subsistence, but actually supported by theft,
robbery and the prostitution of their women. The Kan jars have
very greatly diminished in numbers since the 1891 census, when
there were 459 of them. There are now only 97, nearly all in the
^[ainpuri tahsil. They are gipsies and hunters, making a living
by the manufacture of mats, baskets, ropes, and drums, and
the collection and sale of the roots of the kluis grass. They
are now tending to abandon their old vagrant mode of life
and settle down in villages. Probably this tendency and the
accompanying desire to conceal their disreputable origin by self-
enrolmerit in some other caste may account for a good deal of
their apparent diminution at this census.
As is to be expected in a district so devoid of large towns
and industries the vast majority of the population is employed
in and supported by agriculture. The census returns show 70'4
per cent, of the people as dependent on this means of livelihood,
a figure distinctly above the provincial average of 65*4. This
includes zamindo/rs, tenants and sub-tenants as well as farm
serv^anta and field labourers. The allied occupation of the
pasture and care of animals only employed about *8 per cent,
of the population, while just over G per cent, relied on unskilled
labour other than agricultural for their living. The industrial
population formed 1 2*7 per cent, of the whole, composed for the most
part of those engaged in the preparation and supply of material
substancas, principally food and drink, though weavers and
metal-workers, potters and carpenters, and similar traders all
come under this head. Commerce was represented by only *3 per
cent, of the population, an extraordinarily low proportion, well
below the provincial percentage of *7. For census purposes
money-lending, banking, agen^ and brokerage, as well as
general trading and shop-keeping, are reckoned as commercial
pursuits, but not the transport and storage of goods, businesses
Occupa-
tions.
McUi/tpuTi DistTict*
I
* li
1 ^
Lan^ge
and litera-
tura.
which claimed -4 per cent, of the population. The learned and
artistic professions engaged *8 per cent, of the people, though it
may be noted in passing that literature was unrepresented in the
district. Rather more than 1 per cent, of the total population
was taken up by the administration of the district in all its
various branches, while nearly 1-5 per cent, wore of independent
means, an elastic term covering gentlemen of property , pen-
sioners, beggars, and those entertained at the State’s charges iii
prisons and reformatories.
The prevailing language in common use is that known as
the Braj dialect of western Hindi, the tongue generally employed
in Aligarh, Muttra, Agra, litah and Bareilly ; but lying as
Mainpuri does next door to Farrukhabacl, the home of the
Kanaujia dialect, there is. a strong tendency along its eastern
border to Idend the two speeches. The main peculiarities in
pronunciation differentiating the local speech from ordinary
Hindi are the habits of substituting a final “ o ” for all other
vowel terminations ; the alteration of initial “ w and y
to j, as in juh, jih for wuh, yih, and tlie use of a short
“i” for “ a” jkigra tov jkcigra. The census returns reveal
an extraordinary homogeneity in language through the dis-
trict, no less than 9,999 persons out of every 10,000 being
returned as speaking western Hindi, a higher proportion
than in any other district of the provinces. The tongue of
the ten-thousandth individual was Bengali. literature is not
much esteemed in Mainpuri, no one confessing to its practice at
the census.
■ p. .. There are two job-printing presses in Mainpuri town, and
, ^ the sole periodical is the Vaish Hitaishi of Bewar, a journal
, a very limited circulation and of anti-Government tone.
' c' f’roMiet. All kinds of proprietary tenures exist, including zamindwi,
: ^ * both single and joint, perfect pattidari, imperfect pattidari,
i i ‘*““**‘ bhmy«chara and a peculiar form known as the tor or tauzi
1 tenure found in two viUages of pargana Ghiror. Inferior and
' i , * superior proprietary rights also prevail largely in tahsils Mainpuri
' b » ‘ and Bhongaon, and to some extent in Mustafabad. But the
■ jl ' feature of Sie landholding tenur« of the district is stUl the large
Area held by large communities, which may be further described as
Administration and Revenue.
141
rule but the Collector would seem to have had a free hand.
Later on it was- administered under Act XX of 185G, and it was
not tilt the 16 th March ISGG that it was raised to the dignity ot
a municipality under Act XXVI of 1850. A committee was
then appointed consisting of four European officers, one native
official and four non-official members, the first meeting being
held on the 25th April 1866. The members were appointed by
Government on nomination. Act VI of 1868, the^ Xumcipa
Improvements (N.-W. P.) Act, introduced the principle of elec-
tion alon" with nomination at present in force, and in that year
five memters were thus appointed by election. Two other muni-
cipal Acts (XV of 1873 and XV of 1883) were passed before
the Municipalities Act, I of 1900, came into operation. The
number of elected members is now eight and of appointed mem-
hers three. The District Magistrate has always been chairman,
except for ton days in 1882, when a non-official member held the
post. Since 1902 a paid secretary has been employod. The mam
source of income is octroi duty levied at various barriers command-
ing all the most important points of entrance into the city ilio
average gross income under this head for the five years ending in
1909 was Rs. 19,975, or deducting refunds Rs. 17,706, of which rather
more than half was derived from articles of food. The other chie
items of income are from piece-goods and textile fabrics, chemi-
cals, drugs and spices, and building materials. Octroi is re-
sponsible for more than four-fifths of the total income, the rest
being contributed by a tax on weighmen, license fees, rents, fines
and miscellaneous items, including slaughter-house income, pro-
ceeds of sweepings, &c. The main items of expenditure are
conservancy, lighting, public works, education and
There are two notified areas in the district : at Shikohabad
and in the civil station of Mainpuri. Five towns are administered
under Act XX of 1856 -Sirsaganj, Karhal, Bhongaon, Pharha
and Kuraoli. The civil station notified area, which includes
the Gola Bazar, was up till 1909 an Act XX towm It has a
population of about 1,000 and was once the Gora Bazar of the
old cantonment area. The income in these towns and notifi^
areas is derived from a tax on property, tuizuI income and he sale
of refuse. The Village Sanitation Act has been appued in
District
board.
^ Eduoa?
tion.
142 Mainpu7*i Distriot*
Ghiror, ]3cwar and Jasraiia, and in these the only income is
drawn from tlie proceeds of petty fines under the Act.
Prior to the year i8S2 .there existed in the district a local
funds committee with a corresponding education and ^lispens-
ary committee under tli i Local Ratos Acts XIV and XV HI
of 1871^ and the corresponding Ads II I ancl IV of 1878. Ihcse
were suporsedc.'d under Government resolution no. d/Jo of dtli
March 1882, and a new district committee was re quired to be
formed with effect from the Ist April 1882. This committee
was actually formed with effect from the IDth June 1882, and
its constitution was legalized under Act XIV of l88o. The
district board now consists of 16 members, of whom 4 hold seats
by virtue of their offices and 12 are elected. Iho Distiict
Magistrate is Chairman of the board, and the otlier official
members are the subdivisional magistrates, one of whom is
usually elected secretary. The scope of the work of the district
board is very large, the departments dealt with including educa-
tion, medical arrangements, vaccination, sanitation, local public
works, the care of sarais and encamping grounds, the testing of
vital statistics, the local work of the Civil Veterinary depart-
ment and cattle pounds and ferries. I he tables giyen in the
appendix show the income and expenditure of the board since
the year 1891.
A report drawn up by Mr. Raikes in 1848 on the condition
of indigenous schools resulted in the establishment of tahsili
and indigenous schools in 1850. The returns of 1848 show
that there were then in the district (including tlie parganas since
transferred to Etah) 152 schools attended by 1,149 pupils, of
whom 956 were Hindus. There were 79 towns and villages
provided with schools and 1,880 without them. I he general
feeling was described as being ^‘unfavourable to literary pui-
suits even of the most humlde and practicable character. The
or district school was opened in 1867, the only Anglo-ver-
nacular school previously in existence being one belonging to
the American Presbyterian Mission. In 1875 there were alto-
gether 328 schools in the district attended by 6,872 pupils. Of
these 145 were indigenous schools with 1,443 pupils. In 1909
the number of Government and aided schools was 167 with
Admimstration and Revenue.
14S
G 937 male and G21 female seholarn. Of those six were second-
ary schools with 1,08<^ lioysandone j-lrl and the rest pnimyy
schools with r.,S57 inalo and 020 f.nnalo sdiolars. A detailed
list of all schools, except indigenous schools, is given m the
anpeudix. All arc managed or ai<hd hy tlio dislrict loan,
with the exception of the model girls’ school at, Mainpuri.
The supervision of the distri(d lioard sclio.ds ,s carrie.l out l.y
a deputy inspector and two sub-deputy inspectors. z da
school, now a high school, is under the direct supewvision
of the inspector of schools and his assistant Ihe Mission
School is also a High School and is a llourislung institution.
Mainpuri is one of tho baidcward districts in respect o
tion ^ Tho bulk of the population in tlio rural trac s consists
of Kajputs and Ahirs, who liavo never as a
to .cud U,cic cMKlrcu t„ “ ^
dWriot 1«. l,»ua kind of l.ackw.Uf.-. u, Heeled k, H
of Western civilizolioii, wliieh hn. .ivei* over o lei i>»i ■
countrv. The ne» railway whi.l. ka. opened np he e nl.o of
Ihed Jriet may ke expected to do something toward, .nfnstng «
"" ?;!flM«Tf‘ttLcy comp, led at ““ “f';
period. ,how that the advance of tho a.cr.ge .nhaWant of the
Mainpuri dislrict in this direction ha, keen slow , In
^ \ r, 1 4.1 f ^7 rnqlos ill 1 000 woio lileuato, and o
1881 It was found that o7 males ,
females out of the same uumher. f„,.thur rise
increased to 33 a.rd 14 respectively, wh.l. ... ;
to 42 in the ca.e of male, a.rd 18 rn that of ‘““f' ,
Itistohoro„.omk.,.dthatfo,ecn.n.pmr^e.‘^
only “ able to read and write,” and that the can . ,
roquisilo is not tkeroforo a kigh olio ; Init oven a
■ oiJy six distrlem in tho province, rank lower m « •'*»* ,
male literacy, though no less than 22 have a m dPatinetly
of literate female,. The .mall Musalman I'nP;'"'”" ‘ J
better cdrtcalcd than the Hindu major, y, 3;5 per cent, ej the
former posaesslng the art of reading an 'y' *ng i.
latter, the figure, for male, being 6-43 and 3-60
tor tom.le, 26and.l4. “ ^Sanf arf
the larger number of towmeidenU among the Musa
Dlspens-
sario.
i
i
Cattle
pounds.
J 44 Mainpuri District.
to the fact that their ordinary avocations are of a more humanizing
tendency than agriculture. In the matter of English education ^
both are remarkably deficient, though not more so^ than their ^
neighbours, only -16 per cent, of the Hindu population and -33
of the Musulmans having any tincture of this, while neither class
seems as yet to have allowed its womenfolk to experiment with
foreign learning.
In addition to the dispensary and hospital at headquarters,
which are directly in charge of the Civil Surgeon with a civil
assistant surgeon, there are also outlying dispensaries, each m
charo'c of a hospital assistant, at Bhongaon, Kavlial, Shikoh-
abad“ and Jasrana. iThese all Delong to the District Board
and are under the control of the Civil Surgeon, who also looks
after the police hospital and the jail dispensary. At Gopalpur
there is a dispensary in charge of a hospital assistant, maiii^
tained by the Irrigation department. The Dufferin hospital
for female patients at Mainpuri was built by public subscription
in 1894, Bs. 7,087 being collected. It is not at present in an
altogether satisfactory condition, as considerable additions and
improvements are needed in the accommodation. The average
daily attendance at all the hospitals and dispensaries m the
district during 1908-9 was 401 out-patients and 29 in-patients.
The latter were almost entirely confined to the general an
Dufferin hospitals at Mainpuri, the former accounting for 22
of the total. The average number of the out-patients attending
each of the four outlying dispensaries every day was between 40 •
and 70. . , i i.
There are 26 cattle pounds under district board ma,nagement,
jesides one under the control of the municipality at Mainpuri and
iwo within the Shikohabad and Mainpuri civil station notified
areas respectively. The income derived from them is an import-
ant item in the receipts of the district board, amounting in 1908-9
to Rs 12 195. The pounds are situated at Bewar, Kusmara,
Bhongaon, Eka, Pharha, Jasrana, Sirsaganj, Kurra Barnahal, ^
Karhal, Dannahar, Bhanwat, Kuraoli, Ghiror, Auncha, Kothia,
Kosma, Kaurari, Khairgarh, Nitaoli, Nabiganj, Sultanganj
Nagla Madari, Bhadan and Kishni. The last seven are of recent
origin, having been established within the last nine years.
Administration and Revenue.
146
Razut now includes alb iinmo\taljlo property belonging to
Government managed by the Collector or by any provincial
department, or of whi jh the management has been made over to
a local body. In this district the income is chiefly derived from
leasing a few odd plots for cultivation, from leases of grazing
rights and from sales of fruits, timber and so forth from the
nazvl garden and other lands managed by the district and
municipal boards, and the Mainpuri civil station notified area.
The total income for 1908-00 was Rs. 017, of which Rs. 440
wore derived from nazvl under the management of the district
board, Rs. 300 from municipal nazvl plots and Rs. 177 from
lands under the Collector’s management. Of this sum of
Rs, 177, Rs, 122 have been since transferred to the notified area,
and Rs. 967 also accrue to the same from agricultural lands,
not nazvl, in mauza Arazi Ifino, formerly under the control of
the Board of Revenue, but one-quarter of tlieso two heads of
receipt is credited to Government.
Naz^l,
CHAWER V.
Histokv.
Early his-
tory.
1
1
Musftli&Mi
invasion.
: i
'i
The materials for a history ofMainpuri a. o exoeedingly scanty,
and can, indeed, scarcely bo said to exist till after the Musalraaii
invasion, when references to places within its borders are occa-
sionally to be met with in the pages of historians. Cut the
kheraa or mounds, on which stand so many modern villages and
towiis, afford abundant evidence, in the coins and fragments of
masonry and broken pottery which they contain, that these sites
have boon continuously inhabited by civilised communities from
a very remote antiquity. At Parham General Cunningham
found coins of various periods from that of the satraps Kajubul
and his son Sandasa, while Buddhist remains dating from the
early centuries of the Christian era are common. But the only
historical facts to ho gleaned from the testimony of these mute
memorials arc the continuity of civilization in the region now
comprised in the Mainpuri district and a knowledge of the king-
doms to which it at different times belonged. After forming
part of the Gupta empire Mainpuri was included in Harsha’s
kingdom of Kanauj, and continued for several centuries to bo
attached to that capital. , „ , ,
In 1018 A. D. Mahmud of Ghazni, after sacking undefended
Muttra, marched across Mainpuri on his way to the capture of
Kauaui, but no opposition seems to have been offered to his ad-
vance,andthe district then contained no town of sufficient wealth
or sanctity to attract either the conqueror’s greed or his fanati-
cism. The alliauco made by Rajyapala of Kanauj with the in-
fidel so disgusted his Hindu co-religionists that in the following
year the Rajput chiefs of Kalanjar and Gwalior invaded Kanauj
and killed its king, leaving to his descendants a considerably
diminished: dominion. In 1090 this was wrested from them by
the Gaharwar Raja Chandradeva, whose line continued on the
throne until they, like the rest of Northern India, were over-
whelmed in the torrent of a fresh Musalman invasion. In 1194
ghahab-ud-din Ghori, who had in the previous year defeated and
slain Prithiraj, the Chauhan prince of Dehli, marched against
history.
Jai ChiUid of Kaiiauj. 'ihe m'luies met at ( humlwara on the
Jamna, just outside the Maininiri border, and t ho Hindu ehiof
was routed and killed.
From this timo onwards Hainpuri continued to ho a Musal-
inan- dependeTicy, though parts of it wore held by Hindu chiefs
who from time to timo rebelled against tho central government;
The Musalman conquest crushed a multitude of petty Hindu
principalities and turned ad. ift numbers of clans to seek new
homes remote from tho intolorablo shadow of tho new r6gimo. It
was at this period, according to the legends of the house, that the
Chauhans migrated from Delhi southwards, establishing them-
selves in Mainpuri and spreading over the adjoining districts.
With them came tho Mathuriya (thaubes, tho Kachwahas, the
^-'••l^hakaras, and others, while the wild and inaccessible ravines
along the Jamim afforded a fitting refuge to tho turbulent and
unimly Ahirs wlio swarmed in vast numbers into the western
pargauas. Here, in a region covered with jungles and almost
impmietralilo, they wen; always a serious nuisance to the imperial
government, and even as late as the reign of Shahjahan tho
country round Shikohabad was notorious for the dacoits who
sheltered in the dense forests of scrub and dhak
But tho two important local divisions of tho territory which BaP''-
now makes up tho Mainpuri district wore the fiefs of Rapn and
Bhorigaon, or Bhuinganw as it was then called, which divided
between them tho entire political and fiscal administration of
the district until the reign of Akbar. Ilapri, now a little village on
tho left bank of the Jamna in pargana Shikohabad, is said to
have been founded by Rao Zorawar Singh, locally known as
Rapar Sen, who made it the head of a petty kingdom comprising
the ravines of the. Jamna and the country now included in the
neighbouring pargauas of Shikohabad, Mustafabad, Ghiror and
Barnahal. After the defeat of Jai Cl.and in 1194 the victonous
army marched southwards against the Raja of Rapn and defeat-
ed him at a spot about 3 miles to the* north-cast of his capital. •
In commemoration of the victory the name of the small village
where the battle was fought was changed from Karkha to Fateh-
- pur, a title which it preserves to the present day. Rapn became .
thenceforward the "headquarters of an iUa or fief and continued
%
148
Mainpiiiri District,
Bhongaon.
to be the seat of government for several centuries under success,
ivo Musalman rulers.
Bhongaon, on the other hand, seems to have retained its
Hindu rulers without interruption, though they were probably in V
at least nominal subjection to the holders of some Musalman
fief, perhaps that of Kanauj. The first distinct mention of the
raj in the first half of the I5t!i century describes the Eaja as hold,
ing also Patiali in what is now the Etah district and Kampilin
Farrukhahad and apparently subordinate only to the emperor at
Dchli. The most likely supposition is that the boundaries of the
various fiefs depended largely on the vigour and ambition of i
their possessors and that so long as the imperial authority was
not openly flouted these were allowed a considerable latitude in
extending their spheres of influence. Mainpuri was in all pro- - ""i
bability included in the grant* of “ all the territories of Bhongaon, I
Koil, Jalesar and Gwalior ” made in 1259 to Sher Khan, the
nephew of Ulugh Khan, the noble who afterwards became em-
peror under the title Ghiyas-ud-din. In 1312 Malik Kafur, the
favourite of Ala-ud-din Khilji, halted at Kapri on his way
back to Dchli with the booty of plundered Malabar and Dhur
Samundar, and founded there the mosque which still stands with
its dedicatory inscription. This runs as follows : “The build-
ing of this noble work took place by the grace of God and the
assistance of the Almighty and the favour of the Lord, during
the time of the reign of the second Alexander, Ala-ud-dunya
waddin, who is distinguished by the kindness of the Lord of
worlds, Abul Muzafar Muhammad Shah, the king, the helper of
the commander of the faithful, and during the Governorship of
the mean slave of His Majesty, Kafur, the Royal, May God
accept it from them and may God give them an excellent reward !
In the middle of the blessed month of Ramzan (may God in-
crease its honour !) of the year 711 ’hf ^'rom this it would
appear that Malik Kafur, in addition to his many other dignities
and possessions, had received also the flef of Rapri, and that he
considered it of suflScient importance to be worthy of selection as
■ ~ • E. H. I., Ill, p. 380. ^ ^
t Proc. A* S. B., p. 150. The tablet measures 5 feet by 2 and the lettereuMe
* ‘ thick and clumsy, Of, also E. H. I., III. p. 204.
Ensmara-
227
V
KURRA OE KUKRA-JARAWAN, Fargana aud Tahail
Kaeiial.
This village, in 27° F N. anti 79° S' It/., ia sitviatecl on the
Kishnl-Karhal road at a distance of 10 miles from Mainpurl and
10 miles from Karhal, and had in 1901 a population of 2,850 persons.
It covers an area of 4,107 acres and comprises two vuiJiuls and
23 hamlets, witli an assessment of Rs. 3, 090. Half t!ie mauzd is
owned hy Tej Partab Singh, rain of Partabnair in the Etawah
district, and the other half by ]\[athnra Parshad, hlahajan of
Rampura, and Musammat Dauji Ivunwar of llardoi in Etawah.
The inhabitants are chiefly Ahirs, Rrahmans and Thakurs, and
the majority of the cultivators are occupancy tenants. A market
is held twice a week, on 4'hur.sday and Saturday, at wdiich cattle
are sold as well as grain and other commodities. A police station
and a cattle-pound are situated in the village, through which
passes a minor from the Etaw'ah branch canal.
KUSIART, Fargana and Tn/isii Mustapabad.
This village, in 27° 14' N. and 78° 47' E., lies on the left
bank of the Etawah branch of the Imwer Ganges Canal, 20 miles
west of Mainpnri and about si.v miles east of Jasrana. It
contains 15 hamlets and IG mahals and covers a total area
of 4,643 acres, of w'hich 1,672 acres are under cultivation, nearly
two-thirds of the cultivated area being irrigated from the canal.
The zamindara are Thakurs, Brahmans and Sunars, who pay
Rs. 5,805 annually as land revenue. There is a vernacular school
in the village and the population in 1901 was 2,932, of whom 1,602
were males and 1,310 females. Classifying the inhabitants
according to religion, there were 2,851 Hindus, 77 Musalmans,
and four others ; or by occupations, 94 zamindara, 1,600 cultiva-
tors and 479 labourers.
KUSMARA, Fargma and Tahail Biiongaon.
This village, in 27° 7' N. and 79° 20' E., lies on the
Farrukhabad-Etawah road, 25 miles to the south-east of Main-
puri, and had in 1901 a population of 2,203. There are two
outlying hamlets. The village covers an area of 1,317 acres
pajrs land revenue to the of Rs. 1,800. KEsmar^
4
I
I
Mdi'ifipuvi DistTict*
BitU’ school, a cattlo-pound, a cart jx<mo and a bi^r whore a coa-
fidorahlo local trade!, carried on. ’ The are Bachha \
Th.kur.and Brahman., There
rite of a fort once owned hy Ihe Kaja of Marnpnn. At the 1840
settlement the Kuemara of "'•’“I' ’’ I ’
was taken from the Raja and settled with w o
have .ince paid him a moJitow only. A market is held in t
village every Monday and Thursday.
MADHAN, Parqana and Tahsil Mainpuri.
This village, in 27°'l6' N. and 78° 56' E., lies 12 miles to
the west of Mainpuri.in tlie very corner of the pargana. e
Isan which flows to the south of the village, rs bridged here and
the metalled road from Kuraoli to Ghiror passes through the village
Madhau contains 12 hamlets and nine mahala covering an area of
3 582 acres, of which 1,059 acres are under cultivation, a portion
of the cultivated area being irrigated from the Magana distri-
butary of the Cawnpore Canal. The zamindars are Chauhans and
Marwaris, who pay Rs. 3,660 a year as Government revenue
The population of the village in 1901 was 2,434, of whom
were .am-mdiirs, 1,289 cultivators, and 032 labourers. There is
an old fort on the Jehera, which is occupied by the Chauhan
Raiputs of the place. The village contains a vernacular school
aiiL small bazar, and a market is held in it twice a week.
MAHULI SHAMSHERGANJ, Pargana and Tahsil Kishni.
^ . t -11 evrt 97° N and 79° 22' E., lies m the
This Targe village, in li jn. ana lo ’ . . . j
furthest south-eastern, corner of the district near Kishni and
is named after the two principal inhabited sites. It contains 1
hamlets, with a population, according to the census of 1901, ot
2,589 persons, and an area of 3,363 acres,5and is f
Rs 4 460. The village is held in paUidart tenure, the form
'Thakur zamindars having been replaced by Brahmans an
Kayasths. The cultivators are for the
teuLs. A weekl; market is held here on Sundays and Thurs
days. Near the site of Mahuli proper there is an old and
high hhera.
Mainjiuri.
220
MAINPURI, Pargana and Tahsil MainpuM.
Mainpuri, the chief town of the district of the same name,
lies in lat. 27° 14' 15" N. and long. 79° 3' 5" E., on the Agra
branch of the Grand Trunk Hoad, 68 miles oast of Agra, and
on the Shikohabad-Farrnkhabad branch of the East Indian
Railway. According to the census of 1901 there wore within
municipal limits 19,000 inhabitants, of whom 13,955 wore Hindus
(6 365 females), 4,436 were Musalmans (2,019 females) and 609
were Christians and others. Since the census the municipal
limits have been enlarged to include the railway station buildings, ^
and the total population is estimated at 19,407. The town^ is
divided into two distinct portions, Mainpuri proper and old Mam-
puri a sort of old fashioned village clustering at the foot of the
Raia of Mainpuri’s palace or garh i and composed of narrow lanes
with one narrow street leading to the garhi. The other and
business quarter of the town lies along the Grand Trunk Road
to the south of Mainpuri Khas, and is called Ganj or Muhkam-
gani. Each portion of the town is divided into wards for
municipal purposes, two wards to each portion. In Mainpuri
Khas the Misrana ward contains three muhallas, Katra, Mis-
rana, and Chautiana, named after the clans that inhabit them ;
the Purohitana ward is subdivided into the Purohitana, botiana,
Baghban and Bharatwal, the second and third deriving their
names from the clans resident therein, and the first the 1 urohi-
tana, from the Raja’s pwohits or priests, while the Bharatwal
mu» is inhabited by Mathuria Brahmans. Ihe two wards
of Muhkamganj, Chhapaiti and Gariwan contain the Agarwala,
Lohai and Chhapaiti muhaUas, and the Gariwan, baraogian
and Dariba muhaUaa respectively, the first five being called
after the clans resident in them. There were formerly walls
round the city, and six gates, the Debi, Tal, M^ar, Deorya,
and Ganesh Darwazas, the name of the sixth not being recorded.
The river Isan bounds old Mainpuri on the east side, at some
. distance, separating it from the bulk of the civil starion, and
the railway line is the municipal boundary on the south. Th
Agra road runs through the town from eas^ to west and foriM a
good wide street, lined on either side by - Shops, t e
baza^ of the place. At the eastern entrance of the town to the
Main^ri Distr'kt
south of the road, lie the Mission buildings, just within municipal
limits, and further on at the commencement of the town proper
are various public buildings on the north side of the road, the
general dispensary and DuflFerin hospitals, the police station
and the tahsil. Near the dispensary the Bhanwat road branches
off, forming one of the two approach roads to the railway station,
and beyond it on the south of the Agra road are the Mission
school, also used as a church, the Arya Samaj meeting house,
the Raikesmandi and the Raikesganj sarai. Both the two latter
were built by Mr. Raikes, Collector of Mainpuri, between 1848
and 1850. Raikesmandi was at first occupied by grain-dealers
and used as a grain-market until it was replaced as such by Lane-
ganj 20 years later. It is now occupied by Native Christians
who were originally settled by the American Mission, and now
number about 200 persons. The Raikesganj, too, is not much
used by shop-keepers, and is now a savciiy let out to hhatidvds
by the municipality. It has an imposing gateway over which
is a la^ge room used as a municipal office and committee room.
Opposite this sdvdi is the starting point of Laneganj, leading up
to the Katra road, that forms the southern boundary of Old
Mainpuri. Laneganj extends as far as the junction of the Kuraoli
and Katra roads, and is now the principal grain market of the
town. It is lined with shops and has a fine market attached, and
a bathing tank covering half an acre and kept filled in the
hot months from the canal channel running up to the south of
the town from the Nagaria distributary. The tank is flanked at
each corner by stone cupolas erected by prominent individuals
at Mr. Lane's instance. The Aikman Union Club, the members
of which are individuals of the better classes in the town,
faces the tank and serves on occasions as a public hall. It was
founded by the Hon'ble Mr. Justice Aikman when Judge of Main-
puri in 1886-90. Further westwards on the Grand Trunk Road
branches off the Kuraoli road, joined as above mentioned by the
Laneganj, and beyond it is the Etawah road. Both are much
frequented and are lined throughout by shops. South of the
main road runs the Chamraudba drain, which crosses the road
near the police station and flows into the lean after being joined-
by other drainage line's. Further south between the town and
Hftinpiirl.
the railway is open ground, the railway station havin«, for
tuv,. of »onomy, booo placed in th.
Here are the brick-fields and a mumeipal ^
which aims at converting the mar into culturable la . P
Wtie o,p.«Bion of ‘ke-v' itaT otp^
as soon ae arrangements for making a loai s
Resides the Bhanwat road another road appro i
lt?n tom the woel, beonching off from the . J"
ripuri «« the
palace, which stands on an emi uorthern entrance
brickwork, arc tim toe are situated on
toL»neg»nj,andthc to v„ s
the Kuraoli road. To the ea , , t trees and fenced
of Mainpnri’s park, an open space planted tr ^
in, where road is the temple
t .rival of to Chauhu-
ever, is that to Nagaria. a kind of
‘Tb’ofto^trMai. is there represented with a hn^
suburb of the city. ^
urTv ^d found his motor cooking and «.tiog somati^
7tg;« h»te. On being nnestioned by hri to
wa.prob.blyh«l»t ehancerf^^^oo^ma^ tkathslay
Znr^lied** Ih, story UcUriy ‘"oZ^t
name and the image, whic is pr importance
of the place. Mainpnri seems have b^^n of n^^
until the arrival of the Chauhans
aronnd it the old town W Asanli, nnder Baja Partab
Chirars the Chauhans came ®v ..qoi 1391 A. D.), and with
Bndr. about “"^:Z of
XrvTZtot Aayb'vo fkmt totofo^otul wnysol «d.,
232
MainpuH District.
preserve much of their character for turbulence. Muhkamganj
was founded by Raja Jaswant Singh in 1803 sambat (1746
A. D.), and named after his illegitimate son or, as some say, child-
less brother, Muhkam Singh. By his influence, aided, it is
said, by Xhan Bahadur Khan, people flocked in large numbers
to the new town, and especially from Karimganj, which dates
its decadence from the rise of Mainpuri. In 1802 the civil
station forming the headquarters of the Etawah district was
founded by Mr. R. Gunynghame, and the Sadr Bazar was built,
near which all the district public offices were erected. Thorn,
who saw the place in 1804, describes it as then ^^a walled town
of considerable size and very populous A few days previously
it had been attacked by the Marathas under Holkar, who plun-
dered and burned part of it, but were repulsed from the jail and
cantonments by the provincial militia, and fled precipitately on
the approach of a relieving force. Owing to its position as the
headquarters of a large district, population rapidly increased.
Much was done to improve it by Mr. Raikes in 1848—1860,
who built Raikesganj and a school, and by Mr. Lane in
1870, who built Laneganj, the masonry tank, tahsil, a market
for ghi and cotton, a market for vegetable produce, a post-office,
and schools, besides providing for the efficient surface-drainage
of the city.
The municipality is managed by a board of eight elected
and two nominated members, excluding the collector, who is usually
elected as chairman. The income of the municipality averaged,
in the five years up to 31st March 1909, Rs. 19,976, and is derived
mostly from octroi, of which more than half is levied on articles
of food, chiefly grain, ghi and sugar. The expenditure after
paying for the octroi staflT is devoted principally to conservancy,
and to a less degree to lighting, education and public works.
Most of the road# are paved or metalled, and the main roads are
provided with brick drains, terminating in the surface-water main
drains mentioned above. The board have in hand a proper
drainage scheme estimated to cost Rs. 1,60,000.
The police force of the town consists of 32 constables, and
three head-constables distributed over three outposts at Ganeshganj,
Karhal Darwaza and Agra Darwaza.
AgricvUure arid Comnxerce,
68
third of the usual hharif area was sown, and over a groat part
of that the seed failed to germinate. Distress began to appear
early in August, when wheat was selling at 14 mem and jivar at
^ 16J sers to the rupee, and the streets wore soon filled with
beggars. The first class to be seriously affected was that of the
weavers, but it was not long before tho agricultural labourer and
the small cultivator felt the pinch, particularly in the south-west
of tho district near the Jamiia, where tho drought was most
severe. A coiiforcnce was hold at Agra, and it was decided to
open relief works. This was done on several roads, and a poor-
house was started in Maiiipuri. A fall of rain in October afford-
ed some benefit, but both relief works and poor-houses had to
be kept open continuously till October 1878, when a good hharif
saved tho situation. Tho numbers on relief in October 1877
* amounted to 61,629 units, l)ut sank to about 20,000 during each
of tho next three months, rising again to /)5,000 in February 1878
and 67,000 in March. In April, May and Juno the numbers
fell off, but in July they onco more increased till in August
11,834 units wore relieved in the poor-house and 95,311 on the
various works. Tho latter wore discontinued in October, but
the poor-house had to bo kept open till December. The balance
of revenue outstanding for the hharif w'as Rs. 2,16,318 and for
the rahi Rs. 47,221. Of this Rs. 18,601 were remitted. The
death rate was 34*65, or 14*65 in excess of tho normal. It is not
Jikcly that any of this abnormally large mortality was directly
due to starvation, though no doubt it was aggravated by tho use
of unsuitable and unaccustomed foods. A famine year implies
a year in which tho heat is unnaturally great and the climatic
conditions abnormal, and in such circumstances the death roll
among small children and old and infirm people is bound to be
heavy.
In 1896 the rainfall w*as deficient, but by this time the 1896 - 7 .
district was no longer dependent on rainfall alone. Four main
branches of the Lower Ganges Canal now protected it, with tho
^sult that, in spite of the short rainfall, an eight anna hharif was
reaped, and though there was some distress in parts, the district
as a whole benefited by the compensatory high prices. Barnahal
and Sbikphabad were the only pargauas in which the scarcity
64
Mainpun Dittrid,
Famine o!
1906- 7 and
1907- 8.
was at all severely felt^ and to them assistance was given in
various ways. Two thousand temporary wells were made with
advances of money from Government^ and twelve thousand more
from private capital. Two poor-houses were opened; one at
Mainpuri and the other at Shikohabad, and the raising and metal-
ling of the Shikohabad-Batcsar road was undertaken as a relief
work. The latter was opened in December 1896, but had to be
closed in March 1897 with only half the work completed. From
the start the numbers steadily decreased; the maximum daily
attendance never exceeded 1,091, the total number of units relieved
was 13,983 and the expenditure was Rs. 2,840 only. The
number of persons on gratuitous relief in their villages or in
poor-houses only reached a maximum of a little over 2,000 for
a short time. Up to that yedr, 1304 fasli, the balance sheet of
revenue collections was absolutely clear of arrears. For that
year Rs. 62,404, revenue of the hharif kist, were suspended, and i
Rs. 4,000 of the rdbi hist, but of these sums only Rs. 10,000 '
in all had to be ultimately remitted. The death rate during the
period of scarcity was only *15 above the decennial average of
1886 to 1896. The provincial famine report shows in fact that
Mainpuri w^as the least affected district in the Agra division, and
very nearly in the whole provinces, practically the whole distress
being confined to a block of country 111 square miles in area
in Shikohabad.
The famine of 1906-7 scarcely affected the district at all, ,<
and no relief measures were necessary. In 1907-8 it was nearly^
as fortunate. There was no serious distress, and the very
moderate amount of relief required was due solely to the pressure
of high prices upon the poorer classes not dependent on agricul-
ture, and ended with the harvesting of the spring crops. Gratuitous
relief on a small scale was started early in January 1908, but
discontinued during April, the greatest number relieved in this
way at any one time having only been 2,160. In Mainpuri
itself and some of the smaller towns relief was given until July
by the committee of the Charitable Fund to some of those pre-^
viously in receipt of gratuitous relief from Government. Ttere ^
was no need for poor-house relief. The poor-house erected as Sk
pr^autionary measure in Shikohabad was never occupied.
JLgriouuvire ana Otmmerde,
^66
B 0 . 6^043 of the revenue demand had to be remitted and Rs. 5^089
suspended.
The baisuri weed has seriously interfered with cultivation ^(»*9uri
in 58 villages in the district^ of which 49 lie in the Mustafabad
pargaua and 7 on its borders within the Shikohabad pargana,
these 56 forming one practically continuous group lying south
of the Sengar river. One more village, Fakhrpur, on the bor-
ders of pargaua Barnahal within the Shikohabad tahsil, and
another, Qutabpur Buzurg, on the Karhal road north of Karhal,
are also somewhat seriously affected. The weed is a light green,
bushy plant, one to two feet high, with woody stalks and excess-
ively long roots, and comes to maturity in May and June.
During the rains it dies off temporarily, but in dry weather, and
particularly in years of scanty rainfall, overruns fallow land.
The kha/rif harvest is unaffected, but in the rahi the extra labour
of weeding it causes badly-infected land to be. let at rents 25
per cent, below the normal. Canal water is the only satisfactory
remedy as the plant cannot withstand copious irrigation, and on
this account it is not complained of in canal-irrigated tracts.
The infected portions of parganas Shikohabad and Mustafabad
are uncommauded by canals, the Pilakhtar distributary excepted.
The weed is found on dumat soils only, never on hhur, and on
light dumat it never seems to get a hold. It grows in very
many more villages and in other parganas besides those men-
tioned without causing, appreciable injury or even attracting
notice. In pargana Mustafabad it is associated in many
villages with brackish or alkaline well water, which can be used
only sparingly, if at all, for irrigation, and on this account, no
^oubt, the spread of the weed is connected with the brackish
water in the bitter water tract,” which appears to be a continu-
ation of that in Etah and Muttra. Neither the weed nor the
alkalinity have been proved to be the one the cause of the other,
nor has any scientific local enquiry ever been conducted into
tho^ extent or the causation of the spread of either. It would
appear, however, both from the traditions of the villagers and
from records of well water, that they are actually spreading.
The history of prices in the district is an interestiiy one. him
Figures are available for nearly a century past in the can of
Mainpuri Distfiet,
bazar prices, and from 1840 onwards for harvest prices, though
they are not quite complete except in the case of wheat. One
fact which they bring into strong prominence is the great
influence of improved communications, and of the railway in
particular, in raising the prices of food staples. Between 1816
and 1856 the bazar price of wheat, if wo exclude both the famine
years and those of exceptional harvests, remained almost
stationary, as did tliat of the other grains, so far as can be as-
certained from the more imperfect records. Betwocii 1859 and
1871, however, a remarkable change took place. The average
price of wheat rose 53 per cent., that of barley 49 per cent., of
juar 39 per cent, and of haji*a 47 per cent., an all-round
increase of 47 per cent. This advance was part of a general
price movement throughout’ the country, and due to the new
markets opened np by better communications and more rapid
means of transit. But while the trader and the grain merchant
were finding new and more profitable markets for their produce,
the cultivator was not getting his fair share of the increased
returns. Harvest prices, though they rose during the post-
Mutiny period, did not rise proportionately to bazar prices, and
while wheat showed an incrcaso of 53 per cent, in the rate at
which the bania sold it, the price he paid to the ryot was only
42 per cent, in excess of the pre-Mutiny rates. This considerable
difference between bazar prices and harvest prices is of interest
as it may be taken as a measure of tho^degree to which the cul-
tivator is in the grip of the money-lending grain merchant. For
while bazar prices are governed by the ordinary laws of supply
and demand in an open market with competition, harvest prices
represent a bargain between two parties only into which
competition does not enter, and where one party has the other at
a manifest disadvantage. For the tenant is, by long established
usage and his own improvidence, generally dependent to a great
extent on the bania for his seed and often for his food and the
necessaries of life, and has frequently pledged part, if not the
whole, of his crop to his creditor beforehand. In such a bargain
the purchaser has the seller in a very tight grip, and is not
likely to give him more than he can help x>f the enhanced
market prices. The last thirty years show a remarkable change
Agri^Uui^e and Commerce,
61
for thcf better in this respect. Both bam and harvest prices
have again risen, but the latter no longer lag behind the former
as before. In the bazar wheat has increased 18 per cent., barley
30 per cent., juar 22 per cent, and Ixijra 32 per cent, in price :
but the rise in harvest prices has been still more rapid, wheat
advancing 32 per cent., barley 40 per cent., jiuir 55 per cent,
and hajra 52 per cent., until now the Ijazar rate stands at only 2
sere in the rupee above the harvest prices. The pace at which the
harvest price has been overtaking the bazar price may bo taken
as strong evidence of a change for the better in the cultivator's
circumstances ; at any rate it shows that ho has been able to
wrest for himself a relatively much larger proportion of the
profits ultimately secured by his produce from the consumer than
ho used to do.
The all-round rise in the price of agricultural produce has Wages,
had, as might have been expected, an influence on the rates of
pay for agricultural labour, and if high wages are a sign of
prosperity, then the field worker in Mainpuri is exceedingly
well off. The day labourer has now found that independent
farming pays better than day labour, and, entering into the
arena of competition, has taken fields of his own. There is a
general complaint now among zaraiiidars and others who have
to employ day labourers on their fields that labour is both dear
and scarce. Even in the last five years there has been a
general increase, but in the course of the last half cenlury the
wages of all the labouring classes have doubled or more than
doubled. Forty years ago a coolie's daily hire in the country
was, when paid in cash, one anna and six pies. lie cannot now
bo had under 2^ to 3 annas a day, and even then is retained
with difficulty. But, as a rule, the agricultural labourer is still
paid in kind, and the usual wage is, in the hharif season, 3} sera
of maize or juar, and in the rahi 5 sera of wheat or 6 aera of
bejhctr, peas or arhar. Carpenters and masons are now paid 6
annas and 3 pies a day. In 1866 they earned 3 annas. Tailors,
who at the same period were content with the same sum, must
now be paid 8 annas. The town coolie and the betdoTf who in .
1868 got 2 annas for a day’s work, now receive double that
amount, and there is an increasing difficulty in obtaining men
68
MainpVfVi DistricU
Weights
wd
measures.
at these rates. It is a significant fact that the new railway line
from Shikohabad to Fatehgarh had to be built largely with
imported labour.
The standards of weights and measures in common use differ
little from those of the rest of the Duab. Everywhere inter-
communication between district and district and the growing
habit of outside trade have tended to do away with local
eccentricities of standard, whose inconveniences are acutely felt
in dealings with strangers. And the milestones on the Govern-
ment roads, the hours fixed for the hearing of cases in the
Government courts, together with the removal from circulation
of the old copper currency, on which the old-fashioned measures
of weight and capacity were based, have all acted in the same
direction towards uniformity. But in tho villages the old
customary terms die hard, and tho ryot still clings to the ancient
standards. The English mile is now the usual measure of
distance, though the hoe of two miles is also commonly employed.
For shorter distances the vague terms goli ha tappa or musket
shot, and khetj a field, are used, tho one to denote an interval
of about 150 yards, and the other the side of a pakka higha or
from 56 to 60 yards. Tho pakka higha is 2,776*25 square yards,
or *5736 of an acre, and 1*743 hlghaa make one acre. It is sub-
divided, as elsewhere, into 20 hiswasj each of 20 hiswansis.
Twenty kachwansis make one biswansl, 20 namvanais one
kaohwanai^ and 20 anwanaia one 'oanwanai, Tho higha used in
poppy measurements is jths of an acre. The kachcha higha^
about one-fifth of an acre, varies in size often in the same village ;
as a rule, however, to 3 kachcha highaa will make one pakka
higha and about 2J will form tho average. The English yard
measure (gaz) is commonly employed, but besides it there are local
variations of the gaz used in particular marts and for certain
classes of goods, the one short, from 32} to 35 inches, and the
other long, from 40} to 45 inches. Tho latter is commonly used
for country cloth and the former for silk. Solids and liquids are
sold by weight ; for spirits tho British reputed quart (bottle) is
the standard, and small brass vessels called ghantia, which are
supposed to hold a quarter of a aer, for milk. Two kachcha
maonds make one pakka maund, and one pakka maund is
Agfiric\Mw*6 and Commme.
equivalent to 1*26 Government maund, or 50 standard sera* The
•pahka aer is supposed to contain 32 taha or double pico of the old
currency, and the Government aar only 26, and is thus, strictly,
of 101 tolas to the othor^s 80 tolas. But it generally weighs
100 tolas. This is not, however, the only aar used. In the east
of the district, in Bewar, Kusmara, Ilahabas, Nabiganj and
Saman, the aer weighs 112 tolas. In the town of Bhongaon the
standard is 102 tolas, in Sultanganj 105 tolas, and in the re-
mainder of the district 100 tolas (or in some places 101y*j). This
weight is used at every local market except Sirsaganj and
Mainpuri, for wholesale transactions and especially for cotton,
but in retail transactions the Government aer of 80 tolas is
generally employed. A kaehcha panaeri of 5 aera is in com-
mon use and weiglis 250 tolas, or SJ Government aera, or 2}
sera pakka. The word dlMri is chiefly used for 5 pakka aera,
or 6^ Government aera. Eight dharia make one pakka maund
and 4 dho^ria one kachcha maund.
The current rates of interest vary with the security offered, Intemt.
the status and credit of the borrower and the nature of tlie
transaction. The common loan of seed corn carries interest at
25 per cent, for one harvest or 50 per cent for two, 1} maunds
being exacted in the former case and 1} maunds in the latter, on
each maund advanced. In addition the borrow^er has to return the
"’^ue of the seed grain advanced at the rate prevailing at the time of
sowing, which is of course much above the harvest rate. For petty
agricultural advances on personal security one anna per rupee
for each month of the season, kharif or rabi, is charged, and two
annas if the amount bo not paid up at the end of the harvest for
which the sum was borrowed. Very often the arrangement is made
for a season at four annas for every rupee borrowed, and in the
case of sugarcane, which occupies tho ground for double the
time of an ordinary crop, eight annas in the rupee. For other
small loans on personal security an advance of, say, Es. 10 is
made, and in return Es. 12 are realized in monthly instalments
of one rupee for 12 months. These advances are called ^‘qiata*'*
Where articles of silver are given in pledge the rate varies from
1 pie to 3 pies per rupee per mensem, or from about 6 to 18
per cent, per annum. Where the security is real property there
70
Uainpmi District,
is also a good deal of variation^ as low a rate as 4| per cent,
being sometimes charged on unencumbered and well situated
estates. The maximum rate for this class of security is 24 per
cent. Besides the ubiquitous hania or grain merchant, who is
the village monoy-leiidor, there are a number of banking establish-
ments scattered about the district, and at all the important marts,
particularly at Mainpuri, Shikohabad, Sirsaganj and Khairgarh.
The principal money-lending classes, here as elsewhere, are the
Marwari Brahmans (Bohras), Banias, Mahajans and Khattris.
The system of co-operative credit societies originated in
1901 in Mainpuri as in the rest of the provinces, and was relative-
ly extremely successful. There are now IG village banks regis-
tered under Act X of 1904, financed in the main by the central
bank of Mainpuri established for this purpose in pursuance of
the present policy in these provinces. The rural societies are
scattered throughout the district and are supervised by the central
bank through its inspector. Seven are very fairly successful, 6 are
moderately so and two are not satisfactorily managed in the true
co-operative spirit. The JlafTeisen system is the one adhered to
generally, but loans are occasionally given to members for non-
productive purposes unconnected with agriculture. The banks,
though fairly successful in view of the backwardness of tho
district, show defects which are being gradually removed under
the guidance of the Registrar, the central bank and the district
officials, Tho main defects are a lack of capital, remissness in
repaying loans, an unwieldy number of memiiers, members who
do not take any interest in the management of the bank except
to draw loans therefrom, and a disinclination to deposit savings. ‘
The present policy is to improve these existing societies before
starting new ones. Comparatively successful though they are,
these banks cannot be said to have attained to the true Raffeisen
level of co-operation. The central bank has a capital of
Ks. 20,000, which it lends to the rural societies at from 0 to 9
per cent., which in turn lend to their members at from 12 to 18
per cent. Tho assets of the rural societies amounted on June
30th, 1908, to Rs. 24,845, with liabilities of Rs. 23,573, giving
a net profit of Rs. 1,272. Those figures were tho fourth highest
in the provinces.
4g^^icuUw6 and Ommm, 71
The industries of the district being mainly agricultural, its
exports are mostly of agricultural produce. The two important
^ markets of the district are Sirsaganj and Shikohabad lying
on the main lino of the East Indian Railway, which was until
quite recently the only railway in the district, and it is not sur-
prising, therefore, that the export and import trade has centred in
these two towns. The trade of Sirsaganj is roughly estimated
at over six lakhs of rupees per annum, and that of Shikohabad
at about double that figure. It is too early to expect the new
Shikohabad-Farrukhabad Railway to have had any effect in
changing the course of trade. The main items of export are
cotton, corn and ghl, together with a certain quantity of glass.
Old in particular is exported in large quantities and finds its
way to Calcutta and other remote places where there is a large
demand. The ghi is largely produced in the pastoral villages
along the Jarana ravines. After these two places Mainpuri
ranks third, with similar exports, its trade being about 6 lakhs
of rupees per annum. The trade here does not seem to have been
much influenced by the now railway so far. In the Karhal
tahsil the chief trade centres are Karhal town, Dalelnagar,
Barnahal and Torhagaon. The railway stations by which goods
are exported are Etawah, Bhadan and Kosma. The Bhougaon
and Mustafabad tahsils do not have much trade. In Bhongaon,
Bowar and Bhongaon are small market-places, and Bowar does
some trade on the Grand Trunk road, receiving, like KuraoH,
grain from as far as Ilathras by cart, a proof of the inelastic
goods rates on the East Indian Railway. In pargana Mustaf-
abad, Phariha, Jasrana and Khairgarh do a little trade through
the railway stations of Firozabad and Makhanpur on the East
Indian Railway. The main imports of the district are cloth,
gur and grain.
A considerable amount of h%7ich or crude native glass is
manufactured in Mainpuri and exported in blocks, sometimes
* ready coloured and sometimes plain, all over India. A certain
amount of the glass is also worked up locally, at Jasrana and
Urmara Kirar near Shikohabad in particular, into churis or
bangles. The glass is made from the reh, or saline efflor^oence,
found so plentifully on the usar plains, especially in the
Trade.
MantifM*
tttree.
Crude
glsMor
kaiteh, ■ :
■
72
itainfMkvi Distrid*
neighbourhood of canals, and is prepared in the following way.
A plot of barren, unculturable land near a canal is rented at the
beginning of the hofc weather, about.50 rupees being paid for an
area capable of producing 2,000 maunds of reh in one season.
This plot is divided up into little square bods or shallow tanks by
ledges of mud about 3 inches high and an inch or so of canal water
is run over them and left to stand, the surface of each bed being
covered by a heavy board. After five or six days the alkaline
deposit beneath the soil rises up and dries into little flakes called
paprij which are scraped off and stored under a thatch. At the
end of May, when three or four thousand maunds have been
collected, the reh is thrown into a kiln in lots of about 400 maunds
at a time and heated for twenty-four hours till all moisture has
evaporated. It is then taken out and mixed with the other
ingredients necessary to produce the crude glass, which is always
either greenish-white or black, unless the glassraaker manufac-
tures bangles as well, when he will at the same time add the
requisite colouring materials. To make the black glass either a
small quantity (I to 4 per cent.) of black iron oxide and a very
little saltpetre is added to the scorched rcA, or, to produce an
inferior quality of glass, about 20 per cent, of sheep or goats^
dung is mixed with it. For the greenish-white glass 'there
is added to the reh about 4 per cent, of saltpetre and i to
2 per cent, of senda^ a red ferrous stone. The mixture
is thrown back into the kiln and melted up continuously for
about 18 days and nights, after which io is run out into a
pit and allowed to cool for another 10 days before being
broken up into big blocks ready for exportation. About 300
maunds of glass are produced from the 400 maunds of reh
employed.
The cost of each fusing is about 270 rupees, and the two
biggest items in the bill are labour and fuel, the former averag-
ing about 65 rupees and the latter 1 00 rupees. As the average
selling price of 400 maunds of crude glass is 320 rupees, the
profits of each fusing are 50 rupees. As a rule, five fusings take
place in the year. Glass-making is not confined to any particular
caste, but is chiefly practised by Musalmans, and the manufacturer
is always an independent man, emplovins: hired labour.
AgricuUwre and Commerce.
78
In making glass bangles the hunch is once more melted and
mixed with the requisite colouring matter. Into the fused mass
the workman dips an iron hook (ankuri) and taking out a ball
of glass sufficient for one bangle, winds it off to the end of an
iron spit {aallahh) in a thick, irregular ring. With an instru-
ment resembling a heavy blunt dagger {mala) ho taps and
squeezes this ring till it is half cooled, when it is worked off the
spit by a piece of iron wire and transferred to a clay cone (halbut),
which is spun rapidly round and round before the furnace. The
heat and motion cause the ring gradually to enlarge and rfip
down the cono until it has attained the desired size, when it is
slipped off and left to cool. A skilled workman can turn
out as many as 1,000 in a day, though the average outturn is
much less. The wholesale price of the plain, coarse bangles
is extraordinarily low, the average selling price in Etawah and
Mainpuri being one rupee per 3,000, and Rs. 25 per lakh. The
bangle-makers, or Ohi(,viJm% are almost invariably Muham-
madans, and the furnaces generally belong to one joint family,
who sliaro expenses and profits equally. Boys are employed at
the furnaces, and actually outnumber the men, while the women
and girls are employed to tie up and pack tho bungles. The
average daily earnings are less than two annas per head, and it
is only by making use of tho small children, who are not l)ig
enough for other work, that tho manufacture can bo made to
pay.
Mainpuri has long been noted for its beautiful wood work
inlaid with brass wire, known as tarkaslii (lit,, wire-drawing). Tho
best dark ahisham is the only wood employed and is purchased
locally by the artisans. The articles chiefly turned out arc
kharaona (clogs or sandals), pen holders, small boxes of various
shapes, trays, plates and photograph frames of different kinds.
There are about twenty artisans in the town engaged in the trade.
They are all Barhaia, who are identical in this district with Lohara,
The artisan buys chips or scraps of sheet brass and cuts out a thin
ribbon-like strip to form the wire. Stars are made of loops of
this ribbon. The carpenter does all the work himself with a few
simple tools. Where the inlaying is of a new or intrivate design
the pattern is copied by a stencil from the original design, the
Glass
bangles or
ehurii.
Tarliathi,
74
Mainfuri District,
Ginninst
ootton.
Saltpetre.
tool following the pencil marks, The tool used for the incision
is a narrow, sharp chisel, after which the strip is gently tapped
into place, its narrow edge appearing as the pattern. Curves are
rendered very well, and if the work is carefully done, the result
is as a rule excellent. The chief drawback is that the work is
necessarily very slow and the articles are costly : a plate twelve
inches in diameter, for instance, will occupy one workman for 20
days. Moreover, the brass tarnishes after a time, and owing to its
being inlaid in wood it cannot be polished in the same manner as
ordinary brass articles. Some easy methods of preventing the
tarnishing of the brass would eonf?idcrably increase the sale. To
maintain a high standard in the industry, a good workman is
employed under tlio supervision of the district officer and is allowed
to manufacture articles of real merit. The ordinary workmen in
the town sell their wares to two or three dealers who have shops
in the bazar.
There are six power-ginning mills in the district,— one in
Mainpuri, throe at Shikohabad and two at Sirsaganj. At each
of the latter towns one of the mills also presses and bales cotton 5
they are not, on tho whole, successful, suffering from over-pro-
duction.
Nitre earth is common all over this district, and in 1909
there were 295 factories working under an annual license from
tho Salt Revenue department in tho manufacture of crude
saltpetre (sJtora kham or jctriyn shora). These factories are
kept running from tho month of November untilJuno, and produce
from 50 to 100 maunds each of crude saltpetre worth from Rs. 2-8
to Rs. 3 a raaund. Almost, if not quite, the whole of the crude
nitre produced in the district is exported to the saltpetre
refineries at Farrukhabad, the largest refining centre in Upper
India, where by recrystallization the crude material is refined
to 5 per cent, refraction for export oversea from Calcutta. The
plant of a crude saltpetre factory consists of an iron boiler
(kxrahi)j one or two earthen filtering troughs about
10 feet long by 3 feet wide by 1 foot deep, several baked earthen
vessels (g^mras and nands), some baskets, a few curved iron
earth-scrapers ( khurpi ), a spade or two and a kaehoha well. Three
or four hands only are required to work a factory, and the
o/fd Oommem.
75
process of manufacture is simple. Fifteen or twenty basketfuls
of nitre earth collected from the village site are packed into a
, kuria in which some rows of broken bricks have been arranged
with arJuir stalks placed over them to act as a rough filter. On
the packed nitre earth 20 or 25 gJiaras of water are poured.
This as it percolates through the nitre earth washes out the
salts ill it which flow out into a reservoir as brownish brine.
This brine, after concentration by boiling for six or seven hours,
is set out to crystallize in the nands. Next morning the crystals
of nitre, mixed with the eartliy and other impurities of the brine
which have also been deposited, are extracted, placed in a basket to
drain, and, when dry, stored in a pit for sale. After extraction
of the crystals the surplus liquor in the minds is mixed with the
next boiling of fresh brine. This residual liquor, or tor, is a
saturated solution of common salt and nitre, from which common
salt of edible quality can be produced by simple evaporation.
A few cases of such illicit production of salt in the factories
are detected every year by the Salt department and punished,
the license, which costs Rs, 2, prohibiting the manu-
facture of common salt. Thirty years ago the manufacturer of
crude saltpetre paid on an average from Rs. IG to Rs. 18 for
the right to collect nitre soil. Such rights now cost from
Rs. 20 to Rs. 100 for each factory. Saltpetre used also to be
manufactured by a solar evaporation process, but this is now
obsolete. Factories for the refinement of crude saltpetre for-
merly existed at Mainpuri, Be war, Bhongaon and Dihuli. These
may perhaps reopen now that the Farrukhabad-Shikohabad
Railway has provided cheaper carriage. Until a few years ago
impure sulphate of soda was manufactured by solar
evaporation at Nasirpur, some 20 factories being worked and
about 3,000 maunds of the crude sulphate produced a year for
export to Cawnpore, where it was employed in the leather
factories. At present, owing to disagreements of the zamindars
among one another and with the operatives, the factories are
closed. Eassi (crude carbonate of soda) was formerly made in
this district, but is no longer produced here, probably because
the industry has moved into the Cawnpore district, where there are,
it is believed, larsfer. and richer tracts of this soda efflorescenoe*
Mainpwi DUtrid.
Fairs.
Gommuni-
options.
Railways.
n
At Parasrampar in pargana Bhongaon there is a large tract of salt
soil where in old times common salt was made. This tract is still
rich in saline material and has thsrefore to be watched in the
interests of the salt revenue.
A list of fairs is given in the appendix^ andj as will be
seen, they are numerous. Few, however, are of more than local
importance, and almost all are religious in origin. The
Jakhaiya fair, held at Paindhat in Magli and Asarh, is famous
enough to attract large crowds of visitors from other districts
as well as from Mainpuri. Its history and significance will be
found described in the directory. There are several Jain 'nid(t8
at Karhal and elsewhere, to which Jains resort in large numbers
and from great distances. On the festivals of the Ramlila and
Kanslila fairs are held at various places and arc largely attended
by people from the surrounding villages, while the^ Debi fairs,
especially that at Mainpuri, enjoy a very considerable local
celebrity and aro frequented by crowds.
Mainpuri is well provided with the means of communication,
The recent construction of the Farrukhabad-Shikohabad branch
line has brought the district headquarters on to the railway, and
the main line of the East Indian Railway traverses the
southern corner of the district. Metalled roads are unusually
numerous and connect the district wdth its neighbours.
> The main line of the East Indian Railway runs for 23 miles
through the south-west of the district with stations at Makhanpur^
Shikohabad (which is the junction for the branch line), Kaufasa
(for Sirsaganj) and Bhadan. The station of Makhanpuir
in mauza Jijauli, Shikohabad in mauzas Mihrabad Ubtiaiid
NizampurGarhuma, Kaurara in mauzaa TilianiandKaurara,aud
Bhadan inmauza Bhadan. The Shikohabad-Farrakbabad broad-
gauge branch line was opened for passenger traffic betw^n '
Shikohabad and Mainpuri on the 20th May 1905, and fbr goods .
traffic a little earlier. The whole line was opened by the Ist
of January 1906. It runs through the centre of the district,
with stations at Shikohabad, where it joins the mainline, Araon,
Kosma; Mainpuri, Bhongaon and Mota, after which it crosses
the Kali I^^adi into the Farrukhabad district, connecting at
Farrukhabad with the Cawnpore-Achuera -metre gauge line*
AgrioukUre and Commerce.
If
Araon Btation lies in mauza Hajipur Baijuai Kosma station in
imuza Fazilpur, Mainpuri station in mamas Auren Panraria
and Kharparij Mota station in Tikuri and Husainpur Malhamai^
Bhongaon station in mama Mahabatpur. All the railway stations
in the district^ except Mota^ are open to goods traffic. A flag
station will shortly be opened near the civil courts in the civil
station^ and another station is proposed between Kosma and
Mainpuri at Tinrauli. The following are the principal bridges on
the line : KaU Nadi bridge, 10 spans of 70 feet ; lean Nadi l)ridgc,
three spans of 60 feet; Sengar,7spans of SOJ- feet; Arind, three
spans of 39J feet ; Sirsa Nadi, one span of 40 feet ; Ghiror canal
escape, three spans of 19} feet ; over the Satini drainage cut one
span of 39} feet and two of 20 feet; Bewar canal, one span of 86
feet ; Cawupore canal, two spans of 53} and two of 57 feet ; Etawah
canal, three spans of 30} feet ; Bhognipur canal, three spans of
36} feet.
A list of the roads in the district will be found in the Boade.
appendix. They fall into two classes : provincial roads, managed
by the Public Works department, and local roads, under the
control of the district board. Those of the first class are all
raised, metalled and bridged and have in the case of the Grand
Trunk Road bungalows and encamping grounds at regular
intervals along them. The most important provincial road is
the section of the Grand Trunk Road which runs through the
district, dividing at Bhongaon into two branches, one of which
goes off north-west towards Delhi and the other south-west,
towards Agra. The former branch passes through Kuraoli and
the latter through Mainpuri and Shikohabad. The total length
of the Gfg^ Trunk Road in the district is 89 miles. The only
other. provi^Sial road is thoFarrukhabad and Etawah road, which
crosses the Ghiand Trunk Road at Bewar, and runs south to Eishni,
forming the principal line of traffic in the eastern portion of
the district. The length of provincial roads in the district is
103 miles, costing Rs. 280 per mile per annum to maintain. The
^ local roads are divided into four classes, the first of which
are raised, metalled and bridged. Of these a metalled road,
branching off from the Grand Trunk road at Kuraoli,
passes* through Mainpuri, connecting this town and Etab
78
Maiiip^ri District,
directly with Etawoli, while another metalled road passing
through Jasrana connects Etah with Shikohabad. The Kosma-
Mustafabad road, originally the Jasrana-Miistafabad road, was
metalled before the tahsil headquarters were removed from
Mustafabad to Jasrana, and is now carried through Ghiror on the
Agra-Bliongaon road and Kosma railway station. Other metalled
roads run from Shikohabad to Sirsaganj, and to within four
miles of Batesar in the Agra district, famous for its horse fair.
Various other short lengths of metalled road exist, many of
them feeder roads for the railway, but not of sufficient import-
ance to deserve detailed description. The unmotalled roads are
divided, as will be seen from the table in the appendix, into three
classes. The second class are bridged and drained throughout, and
of these the most important'is that running from Kishni through
Karhal to Sirsaganj. This latter grain and cattle market is the
centre of a whole system of roads radiating out to Agra, Mustaf-
abad, Jasrana, Ghiror, Araon, Mainpuri, Karhal, Etawah and
Batesar. The Phariha-Mustafabad and Ghiror-Kuraoli roads are
also of some importance. The third class roads, which are only
partially bridged and drained, and the fourth class, little
better than cart tracks, will be found detailed in the appendix.
Inspection There arc inspection houses of the Public Works department
ftnd Knraoli, Sultanganj and Bhongaon on the Grand. Trunk Road
iarait, (without including the canal inspection house at Bewar) and
at Mainpuri, Bigrai and Shikohabad on the Agra branch of the
same road. On the local roads the only inspection house is at
Jasrana, while at Karhal the upper storey of the tahsil serves
as a rest-house for inspecting officers. There are also dak
bungalows at Mainpuri and Shikohabad with a khansamah
at each, who caters for travellers. There are saraia at Nabiganj
and Kuraoli on the Grand Trunk Road, and also at Mainpuri
and Shikohabad.
Canal There are inspection houses at about every ten miles along
each of the main branches, and at other places .on the larger
. distributaries, and each of them is approached by a» unmetalled
road either running along the bank of the main t^anal or leading
off it, except where the district roads afford facilities of
communication. 1j\ the Mainpuri division there are bungalows at
Affricutiure and Oommerde,
79
Gopalpur (excluding the one permanently occupied by the sub-
divisional officer)^ Muhkampur (Aurangabad), Dannahar, Bhan-
wat, Dhauraus, Aung (on the Nagaria distributary) on the Cawn-
pore branch ; Jera (Eka), and Darapur Jlaseni on the Bhognipur
branch ; at Saraiya (Sara! Latif), Bilon, Barauli, Be war, Simrai
(Kuraoli distributary) and Jasmai (Binsia distributary) on the
Bowar branch. The Etawah division has bungalows at Patikra,
Ghiror, Gangsi, Bujhia (Urthan), Bilanda (llurua), Saman
(Gangsi distributary) and Kurra (Bansak distributary). In the
Bhognipur division- there arc bungalows at Shikohabad, Bhadan
and Dhonai (Ubti distributary). In the Aligarh division there
is one bungalow at Suraya, and in the Cawnpore division one
at Tarha.
CHAPTER III.
The People.
Early The first enumeration of the inhabitants of this district
took place in 1847, but was merely the crudest estimate. Tho
procedure followed was to count every darwaza or entrance door
as the basis. Then ten villages were carefully selected in each
pargana, and in these every individual, old and young, was
counted. On the* results of these enquiries were founded two
separate averages for ther agricultural and non-agricultural
classes, and these averages, applied to all the houses in tho par-
gaua, gave its total population. The result was naturally very
imperfect, but, omitting the Patiali parganas, now comprised in
tho Etah district, may be summarized as follows. The total
population numbered 479,599 souls, of whom 452,345 were
Hindus and 27,254 Musalmans : 71 per cent, of the total popula-
tion was agricultural, and the average density per square mile
313 only. Three years later, in 1850, a census- was taken by
Mr. Raikos on a fairly complete enumeration, and gave a total
population of 666,085 persons.
In 1853, another official census was held, and as this gives
the returns of actual enumeration and wr.s carried out with a
good deal more care, it is of rather more value. According
to these returns, again excluding the Etah parganas, the total
population in 1853 was 634,087, an increase of 12 per cent,
over Mr. Raikes’ enumeration of 1850, and of this number only
37,107 were Musalmans. The average density per square mile
was 414, but varied a great deal from pargana to pargana,
rising to 593 in Mainpuri and sinking to 309 in Sauj. 76 pea.,
oent. of the population relied entirely, upon agriculture for a
t living. Twelve years later, in 1865, another census was taken,
aooording to which the total population had increased to 700,220|
f with an average density' of 420 to the square mile. This oom* ?
pafatively low ratio of increase may be accounted for hj the
ThB
81
inaccuracy of previous enumerations, hut is not surprising after
the Mutiny of 1857 and the drought of 1860-1,
The percentage of the agricultural population, which is
shown as only 63*7, manifests a remarkable decline from the
figures of 1853, and can only be explained by different princi-
ples of classification. It was during the period preceding
this census that the transfer of territory to the Etah district
was accomplished. This, however, has been allowed for in giving
the figures of previous censuses, and during the same period the
district actually received accretions of territory amounting to
85,523 acres from Etawah and Farrukhabad.
The census of 1872 puts the number of inhabitants at
765,845 souls, or 452 to the square mile. Hindus were 94*6 per
cent, of the total population, and of them 55*9 per cent, were
males — a remarkable proportion, which will be dealt with more
fully elsewhere. In every pargana, except that of Bowar, the
population exceeded 700 to the square milo of cultivation, or
4 souls to every 3 acres under the plough.
At, the next census in 1881 the population of the district
was 801,216, giving a density of 472 to the square mile. The
increase in the decade was thus 35,371, which, though incon-
siderable when, compared with the increases during the same
period in the eastern districts of the provinces, yet contrasts
favourably with the decreases in the neighbouring districts of Agra,
Farrukhabad and Etah, and demonstrates the comparative
immunity enjoyed by Mainpuri in the famine of 1877, owing
to its advantages of irrigation. The increase among females
daring the period was much greater than among males, the
figures being 20,268 and 15,103 respectively. This phenomenon
was almost universal throughout the province and is to bo
explained as rather apparent than real, being due to the greater
accuracy of this census, and the gradual removal of the pre-
judice against disclosing information regarding their women
folk, formerly prevalent among the native population. It can-
not be attributed to the measures for the suppression of
female infanticide, as the numbers involved are far too great
an^ the Increase is common not only to the districts tainted with
tbaf. nnmA but f/) others where it is unknown.
Consua ol
1873.
Oenans pi
1881.
82
Mwi'ifipuri DistrieL
Cenaus of
1891.
Census of
L901.
Density.
I
At the next census in 1891 the population of the district’
had diminished to 762^63^ a smaller total than that of 1881, and
showing a loss of 39,053 or 5 per cent, during the decade. The
decrease was general throughout the district except in the Kar-
hal tahsil, the population of which had increased by 268. The
explanation of the figures is to bo found in the series of wet
seasons and agricultural calamities which befell the district
during the ten years and have been described elsewhere. The
decrease was largest in tahsils Mainpuri and Bhongaon, where
the stress of the bad seasons and fioods and hxna had been most
severely felt, as also the loss of traffic along the roads. The
town of Mainpuri was reported to have at the moment no trade
worthy of the name.
The lowest decrease (3%305) was exhibited in the Shikoh-
abad tahsil, which had the advantage of the East Indian Eailway
passing through it, though oven there population was not able
to hold its own. Only Karhal, whore the surface drainage was
excellent and the excessive rainfall, which water-logged the rest
of the district, merely replenished the well-supply, succeeded in
retaining its population and even in making a minute addition
to it. Both the district reports and the census figures indicate
a great deal of emigration to other and loss afflicted regions,
and the shrinkage cannot be attributed wholly to increased
mortality or a diminished birth-rate.
The figures of the last census point to a great revival of
prosperity. The total population was 829,357, the maximum
yet reached, being 28,141, or 8*30 per cent., in excess of the 1872
total and showing an increase of 67,194 during the decade.
The density is 488*7 (well above the provincial average of
427) per square mile of total area and 900 per square mile of
cultivation. The most thickly populated tracts are parganas
Mainpuri and Shikohabad with 536 and 534 persons to the square
mile of total area respectively, and the' least thickly populated
are parganas Ghiror and Karhal, with their large v^ar plains,
where the densities are 423 and 432 only. Fargana Mainpuri
has a density per square mile of cultivation of 1,183, even exclud-
ing the urban figures of the city of Mainpuri, while pargana
Kwhal has a similar density of 1,005, Kishni pf 991 an4 Ghiror '
of 962. The mean density of population on the cultivated area •
of the district gives an average of 1*4 acres per head of popula-
tion, which, combined with an average family of 4*66 persons,
gives 6’5 as the average number of acres to an agricultural
farail 3 ^ This, wliilo higher than the average in the crowded
eastern districts, is considerably below the provincial average.
The census tables show that the district in 1901 contained Towns
],o88 inhabited towns and villages. Of these 1,183 had a popu- vSfageB.
lation of under 1,000, and of tlio remainder, 143 contained
between one and two thousand, and 53 had more than two thousand
but less than five thousand. Among the nine towns or villages
with a population of over five thousand are the municipality of
Mainpuri with 19,000, th(5 notified area of Shikohabad (10,798),
the two Act XX towns of Karhal (6,208) and Bhongaon (5,682)
and the large agricultural villages Parham, Nauner, Eka and
Saman. The three other towns administered under Act XX of
1856 are Kuraoli, Sirsaganj and Pharha. The Gola Bazar, with
a population of 678, though not, properly speaking, a town at all,
but only an area within the civil lines to which the Act was
applied ior convenience of administration, is now included in the
Mainpuri civil station notified area. With the exception of Main-
puri itself all the towns have cither stagnated or actually decreased
in population during the last few decades, though there is reason
to anticipate an upward movement in the immediate future in
the case of those which are served by the railways, particularly
Sirsaganj, now an important centre. The urban population, if
the notified areas, Act XX towns and the ono municipality be
reckoned as urban areas, is a trifle over 6 per cent, of the whole,
which is well below the provincial average. But the district is
essentially a rural tract, devoted to agriculture and its subsidi-
ary industries. The population in the villages does not as a
rule congregate all in one site, but is distributed over the whole
mauza. There are no less than 4,513 recorded inhabited sites in
the district, a phenomenon explained by the agricultural pur-
suits of the people, the cultivator preferring to live inclose
proximity to his fields and save the time aud labour involved in
daily journeys from a central site to the outlying villa^
...
84
Mmnp^ri District,
Motion, At the census of 1891 the decline of population was largely
attributed to emigration^ and it is probable that the increase in
1901 was in a great measure due to the return of these emigrants
after the cessation of the bad seasons. The census tables for
1891 give the percentage of emigrants to the total population in
that year as 14*68, of whom 12*52 were emigrants to neighbour-
ing districts. Of the total population enumerated 83*87 per cent,
were natives of the district. In 1901 the percentage was 86*46.
In other words, the percentage of natives of the district to the
total population was greater in 1900 by 2*59 per cent, than at
the previous enumeration.
Se», Excluding the two districts of Dehra Dun and Naini Tal,
which are quite exceptional owing to the large number of immi-
grants, the proportion of women to men is lower in Mainpuri
than anywhere else in the provinces, the census tables showing
that to every 1,000 men there wore only 837 women. The last
four enumerations show a steady rise in the proportion. In
1872 the number of females per 1,000 men was 794, in 1881 it was
812 and in 1891 it had increased to 829. Partial explanations of
this disproportion between the sexes are to be found in the tendency,
already mentioned, to concealment of females at enumeration, and
in the practice of female infanticide for which Mainpuri formerly
bore an evil reputation ; while the gradual improvement
may be explained by the increased accuracy of enumeration
and the measures taken for the suppression of infanticide.
But though Mainpuri is the most conspicuous, there are
too many other distnets where the proportion is low, for the
second explanation to be tenable, nor, in view of the high pro-
portion returned in others, can the first any longer be admitted.
In general the eastern districts show an excess of females and
the western of males, and it is quite possible that this fact is
connected with the distribution of castes, the tendency being for
the lower castes to produce more females and the higher castes
more males. The figures for some of the larger castes in Main-
^ puri are instructive in this respect, for we find that to every 1,000
males the number of females is as follows in the following castes :
Brahman 718, Rajput 747, Bania 779, Chamar 819, Barhai 827,
E^chbi 838, Dhobi 838, Abir 910, Gf^ftria 965, Bbarbhiuija
m
The People,
huge, straggling brotherhoods of peasant proprietors, all of them,
except a few more fortunate individual members, more or less
permanently indebted or financially embarrassed. These bodies
still hold 67 per cent, of the whole district, though they
have lost 7 per cent, of the whole, or 11 per cent, of their
possessions, since the previous settlement. The imperfect
pdtMari form of tenure now occupies 43 per cent, as
against 56 per cent, then, and perfect pattidari 11 per cent,
as against 5 pur cent. The bhaiyachara tenure has main-
tained its area at 3 per cent. Single zamindari now holds
25 per cent, of the total as against 20 per centr then;
and joint zamindari 18 per cent, as against 16 per cent.
The number of proprietors is now large, amounting to 37,143,
which gives an average area per head of 29 acres only, as
contrasted with 21,925 at last settlement and an average propriet-
ary holding of 50 acres. No doubt a large portion of this
increase in the number of proprietors is due merely to the more
complete recording of the individual proprietary interests ; but
their growing numbers are certainly pressing on the large com-
munities. As an illustration of the size of these communities
may be mentioned the village of Pariyar in the Jamna ravines,
the recorded co-sharers of which exceed 2,600. Other villages
have almost as many.
The tauzi tenure, to which reference has been made, pre-
vails in two villages of Faizpur and Nasirpur in pargana Ghiror.
It differs from the ordinary tenures in being based not on the
bigha and its twenty biswas, but on a unit of its own, which
depends on the artificial classification of the soils into gmhaUy man-
jha and bar ha. In Faizpur an allotment of land from each of
these classes in the proportion of 6 bighas gauhan, 8 bighas
manjha and 10 bighas barha makes up what is known as ^'one
bigha tamzi.” There are 819 of these tav,zi bighas in the vil-
lage : i. s. 819 equal shares, and profits and liabilities are4istri-
buted accordingly. In Nasirpur the proportion of the three
classes of land which go to form a tamzi bigha are 26 bighas
jrauAan, 30 bighas many to and 35 bighas ha/rhatwA there are
164f sneh bighas or shares iir the village. The interests of
co-sharers in these two villages are ^erefore recorded in bighas
fiUUi
tSBUM.
Mainp^H ^iririot.
fhtctions thereof iintead of biswas, as in zamindari
and pcUtida/ri ^xiTes! ‘The advantages of such a standard. ai:e
obvious in di vidhig up common.Iand.
l?roprieU The proprietary distribution of the land has already been
atyoasteB. describing the various castes, but a summary
* of it will be convenient here. Thakurs are still by far the most
important landowning class, still retaining possession of 45 71
per cent, of the cultivated area of the district, though they have
lost 78,479 acres since last settlement, when they held 61*87 per
cent. The bulk of their possessions is still in the hands of
communities, particularly to the east and in the centre of the
district; though there are several large estates belonging to the llajas
of Mainpuri, Awagarh in Ktah, Tirwa in Farrukhabad, Partahnair
in Ktawah, Bhadawar in Agra, and the head of the Phariha Xotla
family, as well as the large proprietors of Saman, Pundri,
Milaoli, Muhammadpur Labhaua, Sujrai and Uresar. Next
come Brahmans, whose percentage has increased in thirty years
from 19*22 to 20*37, and after them Ahirs with 1 0*08 per cent., whose
losses slightly exceed the Brahmans’ gains. There are no large
individual Ahir zamindars, but their communities, like those of
the Thakurs, are found in large numbers all over the district,
except in Alipur Patti. Kayasths take the fourth place with 5*43
per cent, and Bauias the fifth with 5*21. At the 1873 settlement
the possessions of the former were more than double those of the
latter. Khattris come next with 2*98 per cent., having more
than trebled the area they own since 1873, and close after them
Musalmans with 2*66 per cent., a less remarkable but still appre-,
ciable increase on the 2*28 which they held before. The other
money-lending castes of Marwaris and Mahajans follow with
1*60 and 1*40 per cent, respectively, both having more than
doubled their holdings dui-ing the thirty years’ period. Of the
remaining castes the principal are the Lodhas, Goshains, Sunars
and Jats, but the area held by them is still very small, though
increasing in the case of all but the Jats.
There are, as already observed, fow large proprietors in the
district. Of the principal family, that of the Raja of Mainpuri,
an account has been given when dealing with the Chauhan clan
of Rainuts. of whom that house is the most important branch.
mt usojHe.'
Other notables who hold estates in this^district have, been tbuolied
, upon in the gazetteers of the districts \fith wHc^ they are more
• nearly connected. Chief among these are the Kaja of Partab-.
/hair and the Bani of Lakhna^ both of. the Etawah district, who
, hold some property in tahsil Karhal. Of those whose headquarters
' are situated in Mainpuri the chief is the Baja of Eka, tho repre-
sentative of a younger branch of the great Chauhan sept, more
nearly allied to the Partabnair than to tho Mainpuri wing of the
family. Nothing certain is known of tho early history of this
houi^e except that it has long boon established in pargana Mustaf-
' abad, where the other largo Thakur zamlndam of Uresar and
Milaoli are offshoots from it. The title is ancestral in the family
and was from the first recognized by tho British Government, but
the estate is now greatly diminished both in area and importance,
many of the villages having passed into the hands of a bania of
' Hathras under the terms of a mortgage. Only one village and one
patti assessed at Bs. 12,400 are now left of all the former poss-
essions of the family in this district. The present holder of the
title is Baja Narotam Singh, and his heir is Lai Baj Kumar,
The family of Jadon Thakurs who hold Phariha and other
villages in Mustafabad and tho Kotia estate in Agra claim the
title of Baja. This claim has never been allowed by the
British Government, though the right is recognized by other
Baj put chiefs and in popular parlance. They are descended
from Bijai Pal of the Kuraoli family. The fifteenth in direct
descent from Bijai Pal was Baja Tulsi Das, appointed a com-
mander of 300 by Akbar, and frequently mentioned in both the
Akbarnama and Ain4-Akb%ri, where a sketch of his life is
given. Baja Harkishan Das, the sixth in descent from him, who
received from the Emperor Aurangzeb the title of Bahadur,
acquired the villages of Pariha and Kotia as well as a large
tract of neighbouring country, but most of this was lost again
in 1784, when Harkishan Das’s son, Puhap Singh, was killed in a
vain effort to resist the advance of Sindhia. The whole estate
was included in the jagir granted to DeBoigne by Sindhia.
On DeBoigne’s departure for Europe Puhap Singh’s son, Ishwari
Singh, recovered 42 villages in perpetual {istimrari) tenure as a
reward for services rendered to Lord Lake, but os he consistently^
Phariha
Kotia
ostatof.
100
Ma/impu/H JHttriet.
flUlUTat*
iV
failed to pay his revenue, the Phariha Kotla estate was in 1810
included in the istimra^i mnad granted to Hira Singh of Awa-
garh. On the latter's death in 1831 the property was once more
restored to the former proprietors and permanently settled with
Ishwari Singh's son, Sumer Singh, His grandson's widow,
Mahtah Kunwar, displayed consistent loyalty throughout the
Mutiny. Though dispossessed by a rival, the Thakurani Dhan
Kunwar of the village of Phariha, she did her utmost to support
the Government in Mustafabad, aiding the local officers with men
and money. Her daughter, the Rani Jas Kunwar, had no child,
so in May 1905 she transferred the estate to the present propriet-
or, Thaktir Kushal Pal Singh, a collateral descendant from
Harkishan Das Baliadur. He is a remarkably well educated
man, holding the degrees of M.A. and LL.B. and the mem-
bership of a large number of learned societies. An experimental
farm has been started on his estate at Phariha. The Sujrai
estate in pargana Kuraoli is now owned by a minor and is
managed by the Court of Wards. The title of Chaudhri is here-
ditary in the family, and C'haudhri Lachlpnan Singh, the grand-
father of the present representative, was in 1868 raised to the
dignity of Raja of Kuraoli as a reward for his services in the
Mutiny. His successor, however, forfeited the title by miscon-
duct. The family Ijolongs to the Rathor class of Rajputs. The
Qanungo families of Shikohabad have already been mentioned,
and of the others the only ones worthy of even a passing notice
are the Kayasth Chaudhris of Bhongaon, the Chauhans of Tiuroli
and Arjunpur,the Sanadh Brahmans of Alipur patti, the Raghu-
bansi Rajputs of Kalhor, the Mar war i Brahmans of Khairgarh,
Rampur and Parham, the Shaikhs of Aswa, the Kirars of
Labhaua, the Chaudhris of Bharaul, the Bais of Bewar and
Dihuli and the Thakurs of Saman. None of these have any
claims to a detailed description either on account of their past or
present importance.
The cultivating tenures are the ordinary ones which prevail
throughout the province.* The only remarkable feature which
they present in this district is the unusually large area held by
privileged tenants and the equally unusual tendency of that
jsiea to expand even at the present time. At the 1878 settlement
Ths TeopU,
107
the amount of land held by occupancy tenants was com-
mented on as a peculiar feature of the district worthy of
special notice, showing the singular iiicity of the cultivating
tenure and the tenacity with which the agriculturist in Maiiipuri
has clung to his land.” The percentage was then 59’73 ; it is
now 61 *66, or if the old hit lands held by dispossessed proprietors
as tenants be included, as they ap])car to have been in the ,1873
figures, 63*4. The only parganas in which there have been de-
creases in the occupancy areas are Bhoiigaon, Alipur patti and
Bewar, all in the northern hlmr tract, and here they were due not
to oppressive action on the part of landlords, but to voluntary
surrender of lands deteriorated by the agricultural calamities of
the eighties. Everywhere elso the increase is well marked, parti-
cularly in Mustafabad, where the privileged area has expanded
from 51*66 per cent, to 65*81 per cent., in Barnahal, where the
advance has been from 56*87 per cent, to 63*43 per cent., and in
Karhal, where 66*26 per cent, is now hold in occupancy right
instead of 58*78. The proprietors have not, as a rule, been strong
enough to interfere with the acquisition of rights of occupancy
l)y a tenantry consisting for the most part of Thakurs and Ahirs,
nor, indeed, do they appear to have attempted to do so. The non-
occupancy area, which was 21*53 per cent, of the whole at the
last settlement, has now diminished to 18*77 per cent., and it is a
fact worthy of note as illustrating the strong hold of the occu-
pancy tenant upon the land that 17*5 per cunt, of this is held by
occupancy tenants in addition to their occupancy holdings.
The leading cultivating caste is still that of the Ahirs, with Oultivat*
28*21 per cent, of the tenants’ cash-rented area, nearly twice as
much as that held by their nearest competitors, the Thakurs, who
hold 14*88 per cent. Next come the Brahmans with 12*67, the
Kachhis with 9*34, Chamars with 8*76, Lodhas with 7*46 and
Gadariyas with 3*38. Kahars, Musalmans and Eayasths have
each over 1 per cent., while Mallahs, Jats and Banias have
each less than that small figure. The remaining castes hold
between them in minutely fractional shares 10*46 per cent, of the
whole. Fortunately for the cultivation of the district both Ahirs and
Thakurs, as well as Brahmans, are frequently either too indolent
or too proud to cultivate their own holdings, preferring to sub-let
Ron is.
108
Mainjpuri District,
them to the lower but more skilful and industrious Lodhas,
Kachhis and Chamars. Nearly one-fourth of the holdings area
was found to be sub-let at the recent settlement.
The iijcidenco of rent is in inverse proportion to cultivating
skill, an anomaly mainly duo to the influence of social position.
Thakurs are the most privileged, holding the best land at the
lowest rents with a larger proportion of occupancy rights than any
other caste. Those advantages they have received by their birth-
right as members of what has always been the dominant race, by
their relationship to the proprietors* of the greater part of the
soil, and by their notorious intractability, -i\.hir8, again, are either
akin to the proprietary body or else by associating in largo
communities and in isolated hamlets generally succeed in defying
the efforts of the zamindxirs to encroach on their possessions or
enhance their rents. The social pre-eminence of the Brahmans
has protected them to some extent, but they pay fairly high rents.
The heaviest burdens are borne l)y the Kachhis, the most diligent
and successful members of the cultivating body. They, how-
ever, are feeble folk, unused to resistance, and also able, by the
very excellence of their husbandry, to make more out of their
land, and so pay a higher rent for il. The fact, too, that they,
unlike the higher castes, ea)i utilize the labour of their women
and children instead of hiring, enables them to work their hold-
ings much more economically.
The rental system prevailing almost universally throughout
the district is one of lump rents paid in cash on holdings of
mixed soils. There are a few crop rents hero and there, and
grain rents (apart from mere batai on odd plots of inferior
variable soils) flourish still in some villages in parganas Bewar
and Kuraoli. But the whole grain-rented area amounts only to
4,271 acres or *G8 per cent, of the whole. It has diminished by
more than one-half since the last settlement, when it formed 1*58
per cent, of the total area. In 1840, when the district was settled
by Mr. Edmonstone, the general rent- rate was Rs. 3-9-10 an
acre, including sir and khudkasht at nominal rents. In 1873
the average incidence was only Ils. 3*78, excluding the sir
and khtdkashtj and at the recent settlement the actual cash rates
averaged Ks. 1*.08 per acre, a rise in thirty years of 23*81 per
The People.
109
cent, or roughly 24 per cent. But an analysis of the figures will
show that this is not the real index of the rise in rents. To get
this the occupancy and non-occupancy areas must be taken
separately, and it will be found that, while the rental incidence of
the former has only risen from Rs. 3*84 to Ra. 4-52, or by 17*7
per cent., that of the latter has increased from Rs. 3*61 to
Rs. 5*29 or by 46*5 per cent.
In some parts of the district the occupancy rents simply
stagnated : thus in Alipur Patti they rose only l)y 3-41 per cent.,
in Kuraoli only by 3-99 per cent. an<l in Mainpuri by 5*44
per cent. The non-occupancy rents, on the other hand, have in
parts of Barnahal risen by 131 per cent., in Bhongaon by 92 per
cent., and l)y over SO and 90 per cent., in Mainpuri and Karhal.
These sharp ris(’s are the natural result of the high prices which have
ruled during the recent series of years of drought and famine,
accentuated by the restricted area open to the tonants-at-will.
Against them must bo set off the very small increase in the Kali
Nadi tract, in parts of which non-occupancy routs have actually
fallen by dv*? per cent, even from their level at last settlement.
But the rise in prices which has sent up the competition rents of
the tenants-at-will in so marked a way has left the greater part
of the occupancy rents untouched. In several villages the rents
were found at the recent settlement to be still the same as they
were fifty or sixty years ago, and 38 per cent, of the occupancy
rental consisted of rents unenhanced at the last settlement.
Nearly 31 per cent, had been enhanced since 1873, but the bulk
of it was enhanced immediately after the settlement, and so had
remained stationary for thirty years. In over 9 per cent,
of the occupancy area occupancy rights had been acquired
shortly after the previous settlement, but the rents had not
since been enhanced. In only 21*56 per cent., or a trifle
over one-fifth of the whole, had the influence of the rise
in prices and values of the lost thirty years been felt. The
rent paid for different classes of soil varies very greatly,
ranging from Rs. 16-9-0 an acre for suburban land round Qasba
Kuraoli to less than one rupee for the worst quality of
unirrigated soil. The former figure is, however, exceptionally
high and due to the fact that the land is all in the hands of
no
Mcmpwri Diririot,
ValuAof
land.
Kachhis, who cultivate it for v^etables and market-gardening
generally. Ordinarily the best quality of gauhan is rented at
between Rs. 11 and Rs. 12. The rates for the better qualities
of soil exhibit a marked increase during the last sixty years.
In 1840 the rate for first quality gauhan was only Rs. 4-2-0,
and in 1873 it was Rs. 7-9-0. Very little concealment of rents
was found at the settlement, but though the rental demands were
in general correctly^ recorded, the rental collections as recorded
showed an annual shortage of, on the average, 12*5 per cent., the
records [siyahas) being, as a rule, very imperfectly written up
and the figures defective and unreliable. The main cause
of this lay in the large number of villages held by large
proprietary communitiep, in which the lainharda/i^ is more
often than not a mere figure-head, the various pattidars
collecting for themselves, and the process often degenerating
into a mere scramble for rents. With such numerous collecting
agencies, mostly illiterate, no correct record of the amount
collected is kept. Another potent cause is the widely prevailing
habit of deliberately understating the collections in order to show
outstanding, though really fictitious, arrears in the village
papers as a means of keeping the tenants under control.
Again, many zamMars are also their tenants’ bankers, and the
amounts collected are credited first against the loan and interest
accounts.
The rise in the value of land during the last forty years has
been very noteworthy. Taking the available figures for private
sales, which are much more trustworthy as a criterion than those
for public auctions, it appears that during the eighteen years
between Mr. l^monstone’s settlement and the Mutiny, the average
price per acre was Rs. 6-12-4, while between the Mutiny and 1870
the price had risen to Rs. 13-4-8 or almost double. At the present
day the average price is from Rs. 81 to Rs. 32. Or, taking the
number of years’ purchase, it will be found that, while daring tiie
period 1840 to 1870 the average was 5*26 years, the corresponding
figure for the years 1870 to 1900 is 17, and the actual figure in-
creqsed from 3*4 years in 1840 to 19 years in 1900. This steady rise
in values is not difficult to account for. Between 1840 and 1860
the district was in a condition of depression and change. The
ThA People.
U1
breakdown of Mr. Edmoustone’s settlement and the effect of
the preceding bad seasons resulted in wholesale alienations of
land by compulsory process, no less than one-eighth of the
% district being so transferred. Some landlords were unable to
discharge their revenues, others looked upon a sale for arrears
as a relief from their liabilities and a moans of ultimately re-
ceiving back their estates unencumbered, as in many cases pur-
chasers could not be found and (Tovernment was under the
necessity of reinstating the original proprietors. Between 1860
and the Mutiny the harvests were abundant, and the revision
of the settlement had greatly lightened the burden of the revenue
payer. Forced alienations were comparatively rare and private
sales and mortgages were not very numerous. After the Mutiny,
however, a totally new condition of things came into being.
Hitherto the speculating classes had only looked upon land as
a form of security and had no ambition to become landed pro-
prietors themselves. The money-lender who intruded into a
Thakur or Ahir village to oust the original owners of the land
would have needed a more than common degree of courage, and
the adventure was not generally considered to be worth the
risk. But the reign of law and order which has prevailed since
1859, together with the great security of landed property and
the high profits to be derived from it, have l)rought about a new
era. The banking classes, who before the Mutiny lent out their
capital grudgingly and showed no desire to drive landlords to
extremity, now compete with one another to accommodate the
zamindar and encourage his extravagant habits, and by fore-
closures and auctions in execution of decrees are steadily and
persistently increasing their hold upon the land. In addition
to the above causes it must not be forgotten that the Govern-
ment share, taken as land revenue, of the assets or gross profits
of the zamindobre has been steadily diminished from 90 to under
60 per cent., and if the leniency now adopted in calculating
t the assets be considered the percentage is even less. The devel-
opment of means of communication and of irrigation has of
course also contributed to the steady rise in land values.
The district is a poor one when compared with the districts
of the Upper Duab and the people are baokward and jaofli ::
112
Mainpuri Dietriot,
unenterprising. Many of the big zmnindars are absentees, living
in other districts, and the great mass of the proprietary com-
munities who own and with their fellow-casteinon cultivate
the bulk of the land arc impecunious and living cluse upon the
critical margin of subsistencj. Bad seasons therefore tell upon
them heavily. And they are not a thrifty class in the most
prosperous times. The petty Thakiir proprietors, owing to their
expensive marriages and other caste customs and their large needs
in general, live more or loss habitually beyond their means,
a fact which explains the largo transfers of property which have
taken place. Most of th;^ proprietary communities are heavily
embarrassed, and their ultimate extinction and deposition to the
grade of tenants can Itardly be averted and is only postponed
by their constitution and the dilTicnlty experienced by any
outsider in making good a footing among them. This unfor-
tunate position cannot be attributed to the pressure of the State
demand. If he had no revenue to pay at all, the improvident
Thakur or Ahir would be little, if at all, less indebted. AVhat he
has he spends, and he never lays by any provision for adverse
seasons. Apart from the small proprietors, the condition of the
people is good, and compares favourably with that of the dis-
tricts further oast.
The scarcity of labour and the high wages it commands
clearly indicate the absence of any real poverty among the
tenant and labouring classes, and the fact that 77 per cent, of
the tenantry have rights of occupancy in their holdings should
guarantee, with ordinary thrift, a reasonably liigh degree of
well-being. Another indication of prosperity is to bo found
in the large number of masonry wells which have been built of
recent years and are estimated to represent a capital outlay of
at least six lakhs of rupees. But though the people are fairly
comfortably off, they are content with a low standard, and the
evidences of comfort are not obviously apparent. Among the
tenantry houses of pukka brick or masonry are still compara-
tively rare and the majority are of mud. Very few, however,
of the people are condemned to live in mere huts of wattle such
as are so common among the indigent multitudes of the eastern
districts.
CHAPTER IV.
Administration and Revenue.
A Magistrate and Collector holds charge of the district
under the Commissioner of the Agra division. To assist him
there is at headquarters a sanctioned staff consisting of four
Deputy Collectors— three of them with first class powers and one
with powers o£ the third class. At the tahsils there arc five
tahsildars, each exercising criminal powers of the third and
revenue powers of tlie second class. There are also throe honor-
ary magistrates, exercising (jriininal powers of the third class —
Kunwar Bhagwan 8iugh, wlio sits at Samaii, K. Drigpal Singh
at Uresar, and Lala Phukari Lai at Karhal, with jurisdiction
within the police circles of Kiahni, Eka and Karhal, respectively.
Offences against the Canal Act are dealt with by canal magis-
trates, who are not connected in any way with the district staff
except as regards appeals, which are referred to the District
Magistrate. The Sessions Judge also exercises civil jurisdiction
as District Judge, and is assisted by a Subordinate Judge and
two munsifs, one at Maiupuri and the other at Shikohabad.
The Judge visits Etawah to hold sessions every other month,
and that district is also within his civil jurisdiction. There are
forty village munsifs’ courts, created since 1903. The rest of the
district staff consists of the Superintendent of Police, the Civil
Surgeon and an Assistant Surgeon, a Sub-Deputy Opium Agent
and one assistant, and a District Surveyor or Engineer. Maiu-
puri is the headquarters of the Executive Engineer of the
Mainpuri division of the Lower Ganges Canal, who has an
assistant at Gopalpur near Eka in the Mustafabad tahsil, whore
the head works of the Cawnpore canal are situated.
Mainpuri is at present divided into five tahsils, comprising
eleven parganas. The latter subdivision is no longer of adminis-
trative importance, though it is still found in the land registers,
but is often of historic interest, the names surviving from the
s '
Dial riot
stai!.
SnbdiTl.
Bions.
Village
munsifs,
Opium
depart-
ment.
114 Mainjpwri DiririctK
days of Akbar and to be found record^ in tbe Ain-irAJcba^ri
The Shikohabad and Mustafabad tahsils each: consist of osu
pargana from which they take their name. Mainpuri tahsi
includes the three parganas of Mainpuri, Ghiror and Kuraoli
The Bhongaon tahsil has four parganas— Bhongaon,Alipur Patti
Be war and Kishni-Nabiganj ; and the Karhal tahsil consists
the Karhal and Barnahal parganas. As at present constituted
the district is reasonably compact, and there appears to be nc
reason for further change, except that the Bhongaon tahsil if
above the average in area and Karhal considerably below it.
This useful body of gentlemen consists of the more influential
and well-to-do landed proprietors, who perform their duties
conscientiously and without remuneration. In 1908 there wen
forty-six circles, of which six were vacant, consisting each oi
from one to nine villages in proximity to the munsif^s residence
The popularity of these courts may be inferred from the fact that
no less than 1,906 suits were disposed of during 1908, excluding
suits disposed of without formal entry in the registers. Of the
registered suits only 5 per cent, wore tried out, the greater portior
l)eing settled in other ways. Only o4 cases were transferred on
the applications of defendants to tli(} regular courts. The village
raunsif is a great success in this district — thanks to the care taken
in selecting a popular man of the right stamp and standing— and
it is an immense convenience to tlie rural population to have a
means of recovering petty debts, so much so that the rate of
interest on loans so recoverable shows a tendency to decline. The
village munsif is mainly an arbitrator and not a judge.
The local head of the Opium department is the Sub-Deputy
Agent of Mainpuri, with subdivisions at Bhongaon and Mainpuri
within the district, and also at £tah, under Assistant Opium
Agents. The decline in poppy cultivation has been commented
on in Chapter II, and is attributed to the increase in prices
obtainable for other agricultural produce. The decline is also
connected with the Government policy of contracting the area to
meet the diminished exports to China, and in pursuance thereof
one subdivision at Shikohabad has already been abolished. In
the four years ending in 1907 nearly 10 lakhs of rupees were
distributed on an annual average by the department as advanoea
Jdmim$tration and Revenue, 116
to cultivators^ but ' in 1907-8 only half that sum was found
necessary. W^ighaients are no longer made at Shikobabad, the
greater bulk of. them being made at headquarters. ..
The existing shape and area of the district were not Pormo-
reached without a great deal of alteration continued through
many years. Taken over in 1801, Mainpuri became the head- ^wtriot,
quarters of the great district of Etawah, pargunas Jlewar and
Kuraoli coming by cession from the Farrukhabad Nawab and
the remainder of the district from the Oudh Nawal). A military
station Was established at Shikohabad and a Joint Magistrate
was stationed at Etawah. In 1808 the revenue jurisdiction of
the (jntire district was entrusted to a C/ollector residing at
Mainpuri, who had ten tahsils under him— Shikohabad or Rapri,
including pargaiias Shikohabad, Mustafahad and ( ihiror ; Hazur
tahsil, including Bhougaon,Saiij, Kishni and taluqa Manchhaua;
Sakit, including Sonhar, Sakit, Sirhpiira, Saliawar-Karsaua and
Amanpur ; Kasganj, including Boron and Kasganj ; Etawah,
comprising Bibaraau, Auraiya, Sandaus, Barhpura and Talgram.
Soon after Sauj was transferred to Farrukhabad, and lesser areas
^verb gradually divided off and placed under separate sul)-collcc-
tors. In 1817 Kuraoli was received from Farrukhabad. In
1824 the old pargana of Rapri was dismombered and divided
into Kisniat Awwalj subsequently known os pargana Bhikoh-
abad,andKismat afterwards called parganasMustafabad
and Ghiror. To the south of Rapri was pargana Havoli Etawah,
from which a great part of pargana Bibamau, made up of tappan
Dehli and Jakhan, was formed. Bibamau was again broken up
and distributed between Barnahal, Etawah and Shikohabad ; and
Karhal, also a tappa of Etawah, was constituted a separate
pargana. Mainpuri belonged to Manchhana, which was itself
formed out of Bhongaon. Kishni-Nabiganj also formed part of
the same pargana. In 1837 the Mainpuri jurisdiction was
restricted to Sahawar-Karsana, Etah-Bakit, Birhpura, Kuraoli,
Shikohabad, Mustafabad, Ghiror, Sauj, Karhal, Kishni-Nabiganj,
Bhongaon, Alipur Patti and Manchhana. Bewar was received
from Farrukhabad in 1840. On the formation of the Etah
district in 1845, the parganas of Sahawar-Karsana, Etah-Sakit
and Birhpora were handed over to it, and since that period the
116
Mainpvi^i District,
Fisoil
history.
district has altered little. In 1860-61 pargana BhongaonandtaZtt^
Manchhana were united under the name Bhongaon-Manchhaua,
and in 1861 pargana 8auj was broken up and divided between
Karhal and Mainpuri. Later changes have for the most part
been trifling, between pargana and pargana within the district.
On the first cession of the tract which now constitutes the
Mainpuri district temporary ariangcments, based on the accounts
of the Subahdar, Almas Ali Khan, wore made for the collection
of the current revenue. In the following year, 1210 Fadi (1802-3
A.D.), the first triennial settlement under Regulation XXV
of 1803 was effected. The second triennial settlement was made
in 1806-6, expired in 1807-8, and was followed by the quadren-
nial settlement, which terminated in 1811-12. These three
settlements comprise what is commonly known as the decennial
period. It had been the intention of the Government, declared
in the original proclamation to the zamindars of the ceded pro-
vinces, to conclude a settlement in perpetuity, at the end of the
decennial period, of those lauds which should then be in a suffi-
ciently advanced stage of development. However, before the
expiry of the second triennial settlement it was resolved to
anticipate the period originally fixed upon for a permanent
settlement, and it was determined that the assessments current in
the last year of the period should remain fixed forever, contingent
upon the sanction of the Board of Directors. The settlement
for the quadrennial period was thus made with a view to perma-
nency, and a special commission, consisting of Messrs. Colebrooke
and Deane, was appointed to superintend it. About the middle
of the last year of the perioJ, however, orders arrived from the
Court of Directors negativing the proposal to make the assessment
of 1811-12 permanent, and requiring the making of afresh
settlement for a term not exceeding five y^rs. But the Govern-
ment, whose ambition ever since the cession had been to confer
on the ceded provinces the benefits which Lord Cornwallis* per-
manent settlement was supposed to have conferred on Bengal,
instead of carrying out the instructions of the Board in
their integrity, reverted to the terms laid down in 1803.
The indispensable condition precedent to a settlement in per-
petuity was a sufficiently advanced state of cultivation in the
Administration and Revenue,
117
land to be settled. The Board of Commissioners pi'ooeeded
accordingly, while making a general settlement of the ceded
provinces for the five years 1220 to 1224 Faslif to make such
enquiries regarding the agricultural development of estates as
should enable the Government to determine where a settlement
in perpetuity should be granted. These enquiries yielded a two-
fold result. They showed first that the country was, where
statistics w^orc available at all, in a backward state ; and secondly,
that our knowledge of its resources was far too slender to be
relied upon. The Court of Directors decided, on receipt of the
district reports, that, for the present at any rate, the project of a
peimanent settlement could no longer !)0 entertained. In 1816
a regulation was enacted continuing the jamas current in 1224
Fasli (1816-17) for five years longer with a view to the collection
of agricultural statistics to serve as a basis for future action.
In the meantime there arose a discussion regarding the objects
to bp attained in making a settlement of the land revenue, and
the rules by which the Government demand should be regulated.
The first result of this discussion was the enactment of the famous
Regulation VII of 1822, by which the existing assessments
were maintained until a new settlement could be made on the
principles embodied in the regulation itself. Only a few scat-
tered villages in Maiupuri were settled under Regulation VII of
1822. It was found that the procedure involved was far too
cumbersome, and that the completion of such a settlement would
be the work of a* generation, if not more. To remedy this,
Regulation IX of 1833 was passed, having as its object the
abridgment of this cumbrous procedure, and it ivas under this
regulation that in 1839-40 the settlement of Mainpuri was com-
pleted by Mr. (afterwards Sir George) Edmonstone. There were
thus only three general assessments of the district prior to the
regular settlement made by Mr. Edmonstone. These were (1) the
first triennial, 1210 to 1212 Faeli ; (2) the first quadrennial, 1216
to 1219 Fadi} (3) the first quinquennial, 1220 to l22iFadi, All
the others were merely extensions of these except in cases where
modifications were rendered necessary by purely local causes.
Of the first triennial settlement we possess scarcely any Xtefifit ;;
record at all* It was very hurriedly conducted, and the
118
Mamfvitri District.
information at the command of the assessing officers was neces-
sarily most imperfect. This information appears to have con-
sisted of (1) the accounts delivered by Almas Ali Khan at the
cession, (2) the schedules of malgwzari receipts of the preceding
year furnished by cliayfdharpij qanungoa and taluqdam ; and
(3) the statements of hham proceeds received from those amins
who had been deputed by the Collector in 1209 Fasli to collect
statistics.
The main end would seem to have been to obtain as much
of the gross produce of an estate as possible, compatible with
the reservation to proprietors of such a quota as would not drive
them to refuse engagements. The assessments were fixed at a
consideral)le increase on the jama formerly realized by the
Nawab Wazir^s (lOvernmcnt, partly, as the Collector admitted,
through higher offers being made, and partly on the summary
enquiries which had been instituted into the capabilities of
estates. The total revenue assessed over the whole district as
now constituted amounted to ten lakhs of rupees, a sum which
it was found impossible to collect in full owing to the depres-
sion and anarchy which prevailed (;ons6quent on a severe famine
on the one hand and the depredations of the Marathas on the
other. Heavy and general remissions were thus necessitated
during this period. Only in the largo talaqas were the assess-
ments moderate.
The second triennial settlement was merely a continuation
of the first settlement at the same jaiivv in all cases where
the malguzariff whether proprietors or farmers, had kept their-
engagements and were willing to renew them. No enquiries into
rights of ownership were entertained by the Collector, who simply
allowed the fulfilment of the former engagement to confer on the
men in possession the privilege of re-entry for three additional
years. In those instances whore refusals to renew engagements
on the old terms occurred, the estates not engaged for were
advertised, and offers were invited, the highest offer being
generally accepted, with preference- to the hereditary eamirufors
in the event of their coming forward. The total annual demand
during this settlement averaged very close on ten lakhs, and
although heavy biJances did occur, still the collection of the
AdmimMration and Bevenue^
119
— ■' n
revenue seems not to have been attended with that insuperable
difficulty which characterized the first four years of our rule.
The first quadrennial settlement was conducted by Messrs*
Valpy and Batson, the former reporting on the western parganas
at the end of 1807 and beginning of 1808, tlio latter completing
, the eastern parganas at the end of 1808. Mr. Valpy himself
estimated the assets upon which the Government demand was
based, disregarding the recorded rentals as untrustworthy. Of
these estimated assets he took 90 per cent, as revenue, leaving
to the mniindar a residue of 10 per cent, to defray expenses of
cultivation and village expenses and for his own support from
the produce of the soil.” I own,” ho wrote with much truth,
“ that I consider this residue a base and sorry pittance, but a
larger could not have been granted without causing a consider-
able defalcation of the revenues of the former settlement even in
these parganas, and an infinitely larger^ one in others of this
district, and it is to bo inferred from the tenor of the regulation
for the lower provinces that Government considered that quota
sufficient in Bengal and Behar.” He further pointed out that the
revenue thus assessed could only be comfortably realized in favour-
able years ; and that it was too severe to stand the pressure of
any failure of crops, unless liberal remissions were promptly made.
Mr. Batson appears to have assessed on the average of the esti-
mates of the cultivated area and of the average produce of the three
years of the expired settlement obtained from (1) the tahsildar and
qanungo, (2) the zamindars and (3) the patwaris. I added,”
he reported to the Board, the three estimates of any one estate
together, and having calculated the amount, I divided the gross
produce by three, which gave the average of the three dowls,
which average I have in many cases stated as the gross, on which
1 have marked the account settlement, being unable to obtain a
better or more correct gross from the clue of contradictions and
falsehoods which 1 attempted to unravel to no purpose, and
finding myself baffied after tedious investigations, and involved
in a maze of doubt, 1 from necessity had recourse to the average
of the dowls as the only fair alternative which 1 could have
recourse to in such cases, when 1 could not succeed by taking
the average of any adjoining estate as a standard.” Mr. Batsen
Tho first
quadren-i
uial settle
moni
1808.0 tc
1811-12.
120
rhe quin<
juennial
settle-
ment,
1812-13 t(
1816-17.
Mampwri Districts
believed that his estimates were in general 80 to 40 per cent,
under the true resources/’ and proposed that if the board con-
sidered his assessments too low^ progressive jamas should be
imposed. Like Mr. Valpy, he assessed the ^ama at 90 per cent,
of the assets, ascertained by the method described. The new
assessment was Rs. 1,10,000 in excess of that which preceded*
it, the enhancement falling principally on parganas Shikohabad,
Mustafabad, Ghiror and tahiqa Muhammadpur Labhaua. The
settlement did not work well. Before its close the zamindars
had fallen into heavy arrears, which they were either unable or
unwilling to pay ; 136 estates, amounting to one-eighth of the
area of the whole district, had passed into the hands of the
Collector, who held them under direct management, generally at
a loss, while the pargana officials were thoroughly corrupt, often
placing themselves in opposition to the Collector and supporting
the zamindard in their recusancy.
The quinquennial settlement of the district was made jointly
by Messrs. Batson and Dawes under Regulation IX of 1812, in
which it is laid down that the proportion of assets to be relin-
quished to proprietors should be one tenth on the jama exclusive
of cost of collection or, in other words, one- eleventh of the net
assets. The mode of estimating the gross assets was not very
different from that employed in the preceding settlement, but the
enquiries were far more detailed and were made village by village.
The assessing officers were able to bring much more local knowledge
and experience to their aid than before, and in framing their
revised assessments profited by the fiscal history of each village,
whicb they were at pains to Record for each separately in a
vernacular proceeding. These proceedings were forwarded to
the Board, who reviewed them minutely and gave orders them-
eelves in every case, thus constituting themselves virtually the
assessing officers. A sifting investigation of proprietary rights
was also carried out, the Board, as in the assessments, permitting
no record of ownership to be made without their sanction. It
was from this period apparently that the record of rights
became a part of the settlement operations, which had previously
been confined merely to assessment. This settlement was sanc-
tioned by the Board in 1814. The result was, in round numbers,
‘AdminiHration and Revenae.
m
a total revenue of twelve lakhs of rupees^ an addition of Bs. 86^000
to tho previous Government demand. The Board^s records show
that in the first year of this settlement both talaqdars and zamin-
dars combined to oppose every obstacle to the success of the new
assessments, both by throwing large tracts out of cultivation
and by using their influence to frustrate realization of the revenue,
^Matters came to a head in 1815 in the western parganas of
Shikohabad (including Mustafabad) and Dehli Jakhan and in
the taluqa of Muharamadpur Labhaua : and the defalcations wei*o
so large that Mr. Valpy, who already had some experience of
the people, was placed in exclusive charge of these parganas.
From the statement of outstanding balances handed over to him
by the Collector, Mr. Dawes, it appears that arrears up to the
end of the preceding year had accumulated to the amount of
nearly a lakh; that for tho current year about three-quarters of
a lakh due on the hfiar if was yet unrealized, in addition to nearly
two and a half lakhs still to bo collected for the rahL These
balances he attributes to tho refractory disposition of some
of the principal zamindars, to the neglect of cultivation by others
and to tho mismanagement of Tahsildar Chiranji Lai, who has been
dismissed.’’ He is also apprehensive that the utmost vigilance
will not be sufficient to accomplish the realization of tho whole of
the jama.” Scarcely hadthopargana changed hands when the crisis
occurred in the case of taluqa Muhammadpur-Labhaua. The <a-
iwgofar, Thakur Bhagwant Singh, after regularly defaulting with
ample means to pay, had gone as far as to disregard entirely any
demand for payment of his revenue or summons to appear before
the Collector. It was therefore found necessary to bring his
whole estate to public auction; and in April 1815 his enormous
property, consisting of 107 villages in Shikohabad, Ghiror and
Sakit, was put up for sain and purchased by Government for
Rs. 10,960. It was resettled the following year at an increase of
Rs. 11,484 with the zamindars as farmers, and on this tenure they
continued to hold it till 1839, when they received proprietary
rights on condition of their liquidating the balances which had
occurred during the possession of Bhagwaftt Singh. Consider-
able redactions of revenue had also to be made, with a re-settle-
ment in a large number of villages in Shikohabad, Musta&bad
122
Madnpv/ri District.
Mr.
Bdmou-
stone's
settle-
ment,
1839-40.
and Dehli Jakhau. These revisions prove that the quinquennial
settlement; in the west of the district; at any rate, was practi-
cally a failure, though there is nothing to show that elsewhere
any revisions were necessitated. This settlement as revised
remained in force till 1 839, except in the few villages which, as
already stated, were settled under the provisions of Regulation
VII of 1822. The only record of the working of the settlement
is contained in the remarks of subsequent settlement officers.
F rom these it would appear that the revenue Avas found to be
excessive only in the case of individual estates, and the work
really attempted at the next revision in 1839 was the equaliza-
tion of the demand, by lowering it in over-assessed estates and
taking a small increase in those villages where the assessment
had been inadequate.
The first regular settlement of the district, made under
Regulation IX of 1833, was Mr. Edmonstone^s in 1839-40,
and gave a total revenue of Rs. 12,46,000, an increase of
Rs. 48,000 on its predecessor. Notwithstanding this very moderate
increase, however, Mr. Edmon8tonc^s assessments broke down
more or less over the whole district, and extensive reductions
Avere necessitated almost immediately. This sudden and general
collapse cannot possibly bo attributed to the slight advance
in revenue resulting from the neAv settlement, but to the after-
effects of the great famine of 1837-8, which Averc far more
lasting and disastrous than had been imagined. This famine
almost depopulated the backAvard tracts, and even in the most
favoured parts of the district its effect was felt for years. Mr.
Edmonstono^s great mistake, judged by the after event, arose
from a far too sanguine anticipation of the elasticity of the
district. The ejcceptionally favourable rains of the two years
during which he was engaged in assessment gave to the country
an appearance of recovery Avhich it had not really attained, and
led him to over-estimate its resources. A large proportion of
the land which had been thrown out of cultivation by the famine,
had, on account of the seasonable rains of 1839-40, been again
brought under the plough. Not only did he assess these lands,
but he also called upon the unploughed waste to pay its quota of
revenue. His anticipations were not realized. Two or three
md Revenue,
123
seasons of light and untimely rains followed ; the cultivation,
instead of spreading, declined, the condition of the tenantry
deteriorated, and in consequence many of the mmlndam ioviA
themselves unable to ^oet the (Government demand. The debts
which they wore obliged to contract during the famine years
still hung over them, the money lenders began to press for
j)ayment and refused further advances, and the result was a
very general state of impecuniosity and absence of capital, which
culminated in 1844, when a revision of Mr. Kdmonstone^s assess-
ments was sanctioned by (.Government.
This revision, which was effected by the (Collectors of the Rovision
of Mr.
district, Messrs. Unwin, Dick and Cocks, under the orders of Edmon-
the Commissioner, resulted in a reduction of the janut from
Rs. 12,46,000 in 1840 to Rs. 10,46,000 in 1846-6, rising grad-
ually to Rs. 11,40,000 in 1860-1. These measures restored the
district to prosperity. In 1850-1 the area under the plough
was 9 per cent, in excess of the cultivated areas of 1836-7, the
year preceding the famine, and the (lovornmont revenue was
realized without a single farm or sale. Thus, then, in the year
when the revised assessments reached their maximum, wo find
the district in a higher state of prosperity, its administration more
easy, its public revenues more punctually paid, than at any period
since the cession in 1801.” Neither the anarchy consequent on the
Mutiny of 1867-8 nor the famine of 1860 appears to have inflicted
other than a temporary check on the advance of the district to
recovery. The spread of the Ixiisuri weed in 23 villages
in Mustafabad and Shikohabad necessitated a reduction* of
Rs. 6,361 in the Government which, together with reduc-
tions on account of the appropriation of land for the Etawah and
Cawnpore branches of the Ganges Canal and their distributaries
and for roads and other public projects, brought the jama of
1860-1 from Rs. 11,40,000 down to Rs, 11,21,289, at which
amount it stood when it was succeeded by the revised assess-
ment made by Messrs. McConaghey and Smeaton.
The effect of Mr. McConaghey’s revision was to raise the Mr.
Government demand to Rs. 12,76,430, an increase of Rs. 1,65,141,
or 13*84 per cent., though only Rs. 31,430, or 2} per cent., in excess
of the burden which Mr. Edmonstone had bought the district lero-*
Md,
stono'B
aSBOBS-
ment.
124
Mainpuri Didt'iet.
Bevision
in 1891-a.
capable of bearing thirty years before^ when canal irrigation
W'as unknown. The increase was justified on the grounds
that (1) cultivation had increased by 17J per cent, since 1836-7
and by llj per cent, since 1850-1; (2) iwigation had increased
in the same proportion ; (3) population had advanced 24 per
cent, since 1850; and (4) harvest prices had risen 45 per cent,
since the Mutiny. The assessment was made after a new and
careful survey carried out, under supervision, by the patwaris
and amins, and the revenue represented rather less than half the
estimated rental assets of the district. There was, however, a
considerable difference in the methods employed in the five
parganas, Kuraoli, Mainpuri, Ghiror, Alipur Patti and Bewar,
that were first assessed, and in the six parganas forming the
remainder of the district, with the result that the enhancement of
rents in connection with settlement operations amounted to 27
per cent, in the first set of parganas and only 7 per cent, in the
second, and that the revenue assessed was 45‘5 per cent., of the
corrected rental as it stood after enhancement in the first set, but
67 *6 per cent, of the second. And as the corrected rent-roll after
enhancement was only Rs. 23,19,377, even after allowing for con-
cealments, the assets cannot be taken to have been more than 24
lakhs. Mr. McConaghey’s valuation of Rs. 26,30,930 would there-
fore appear to have been somewhat excessive and his jama to
have represented a higher percentage of the rental assets than ho
claimed for it. The settlement, however, worked well on the
whole, and the Government, in a review of it made some seven
or eight years later, in 1880, while concluding that no interference
with the assets was necessary, pronounced, the new revenue
lenient in the five parganas first assessed, but not too lenient,
except, perhaps, in Ghiror, and fully adequate in the remaining
and greater portion of the district, but not too high, with the
possible exception of the hhur portion of pargana Bhongaon.
Reasonably moderate as the assessment was, a combination
of causes which could not have been foreseen, and for which it
was in no way responsible, rendered its revision necessary in
1891 in four out of the five tahsils of the district, and resulted
in an aggregate reduction of Rs. 30,000, or 2 per cent, of the
whole demand. These causes were (1 ) the floods in the Kali nadi ;
and Revenue.
(2) deterioration due to wet seasons and the spread of kana grass ;
(3) damage from the super-saturation and water-logging due to the
Bhognipur Branch Canal.
As early as 1877 it was found necessary to reduce by
Rs. 6,850 thejaina of 70 villages in pargana Kuraoli, Alipur Patti,
Bewar, Bhongaon and Kishui, which lay in the valley of the
Kali Nadi and suffered severely from flooding after 1873. This
reduction was made for flve years only, but at the revision in
1881 only Rs. 1,685 of the reduction were recovered and a further
sura of Rs. 7,780 had to be reduced in 171 villages in the five
northern parganas. In 1885 these villages were swept by the
terrible flood from the Nadrai aqueduct and suffered very severely.
Though the full magnitude of the disaster was not appreciated
at the time, suspensions of revouue and advances of money only
being given, yet in 1 889 remissions of revenue had to be granted
in eighteen villages, and in 1890 in nine more. A regular
revision of ‘settlement was then ordered.
The wet season also caused a very serious spread of the
noxious grass in the lighter soils of Bhongaon and Mainpuri,
and the . deterioration arising from this was so grave that
remissions of revenue amounting to Rs. 6,784 were necessitated
in nineteen villages, and eventually this tract also had to be
included in the sphere of the revision of 1891,
When the Bhognipur branch canal was first opened the
interference with the natural drainage which it involved, and
the rise in the water level of the surrounding country, were so
great that not only was the productivity of the soil in its neigh*
bourhood much injured, but wells fell in and houses collapsed.
A special settlement officer was accordingly deputed in 1891
to examine into and revise the settlement in all the affected
areas of the district. In 1891 the circumstances of 152 villages
were enquired into and relief was given in 122 mah/da.
Rs. ,13,595 of land revenue were reduced, and Rs. 17,357 6f
arrears of revenue were remitted, while Rs. 2,350 were awarded
as compensation for injury to houses. In 1892 the operations
were continued and resulted in a redaction of Rs. 6,303 of land
revenue, in remission of Rs. 6,422 of arrears, and the payment
of Bsi 4,370 as compensation to hoose owners.
Kali Nadi
floods.
Kant,
Effect of
the Bhog*
nipur
ganftl .
126
MainpUtvi Distriot
Beoent
Bettlement
1902 to
1906.
Survey,
A forecast made shortly before the falliog in of the revenue
engagements taken at the last settlement indicated a probable
increment to the State demand of some [6 per cent. A revision
of assessment was therefore financially desirable. Besides
this the incidence of assimsment throughout the district required
to be equalized, and the temporary reductions to be recon-
sidered. But of still greater im])ortance than all these was the
need for re-adjusting the rents of the huge body of protected
tenants, who held no less than 64 per cent, of the total cultivation
of the district. Yriiile the competitive rents of tenants-at-will
had advanced in timely correspondence with the rise in prices
and in the value of land, the protected rents had remained
stationary, 78 per cent, of thorn being unchanged since the last
settlement and some 38 per cent, from a very mucli older period.
There was no reason why this stagnation should be. perpetuated
and the landholder and the State should not share in profits from
the enhanced value of land, of which an unfair proportion was
being monopolized by the protected tenant. A new settlement
was therefore ordered, and in November 1902 Mr. W. J. E. Lup-
ton, I.C.8., was placed in charge of it.
The re-assessment was preceded by and based on a complete
new survey of the whole district and of each village, and a revision
of all the village records. A traverse survey of the whole district
was made during the three seasons 1898 to 1901, and skeleton maps
of each village were prepared on the scale of 16 inches to the
mile. On receipt of these outline maps the survey/ officers pro-
ceeded, with the aid of the village patwaris, whom they had
been training in survey for the purpose, to fill in on the maps
each field, plot, village site, well, grove and so forth, giving to
each a number ; and in accordance with the new numbering a
new record of rights was drawn up, based on the old but prepared
on the spot under the supervision of the survey officers and in
presence of jihe parties interested, both landholders and ter^nts.
Actual possession was the basis of the new record, and all dis-
puted entries were noted in a dispute list for subsequent
adjudication, and corresponding lists of old and new numbers
were prepared to aid in identification. On completion of the
field work, which lasted from October to May each season, the
Admimitmtion and lUv&i/iue,
127
patwarifl came into headquarters and, among other work,
extracted the area of each newly numbered field in acres and
decimals. These were then entered in thcA;tomandtheib^/ai«n^
slips, and the area obtained by summation of fields of each
village was chocked against that supplied by the Traverse Survey.
The detailed survey and record writing in the field were systema-
tically checked by the Survey officers and supervisor kaiiungos
of the district. This work, which began in November 1899, was
completed in October 1903 at a total cost of lls. 1,62,895.
. The attestation was carried on from November 1901 to Attests-
March 1 904. On receipt of the rough records from the survey
office the khatauni and khewit slips were distributed through
the patwaris to each tenant and zamindar affected, and about
a fortnight later, when the contents of the slips had been read
and digested, both tenant and zamindar appeared before a
gazetted officer, encamped for this purpose, either in their village
or in its immediate neighbourhood. If th<' parties agreed as to
the entries in a slip and no objection was raised by any one else,
it was formally attested by the officer as admitted correct. Dis-
puted cases were either decided then and there in the presence of
the assembled villagers or later on by trial. At the same time
the dastm dehi or memorandum of village customs was drawn
up. Attestation over, the attested slips were sent back to the
headquarters office, there to form the basis of the new Settlement
records, the various entries needed for the new khasra, khatamii
and khewat being abstracted from them.
Concurrently with the attestation work, the officers were
employed in supervising the preliminary soil classification
and in checking on the spot the list of groves and wells. The
soil distinctions used followed closely those of the last settle-
ment, but with some modifications, and they have now the merit
of employing terms and representing differences recognized by
the people themselves. The soil classes having f)een decided on
by the settlement officer, the soils in each village ^re roughly
marked off on the map by kanungos and amins trained for
this purpose by him and were checked by the deputy collect-
ors. In due course they were examined personally by the
settlement officer on the spot, and corrected where necessary*
MmnfVtVi Diitrici,
Assess-
ment
Oiroles.
mntm.
The soil demarcation thus finally fixed represented the idea of the
settlement officer himself guided by the opinions of the villagers,
which wore freely invited, and by ensuring the systematic inspec-
tion of every portion of the village, gave great confidence in the
subsequent differentiation and assessing. The prevWling rent
rates wero at the same time continuously ascertained and noted.
Every village thus came under the close personal inspection of
the assessing officer, in general and in detail, and its characteristics,
quality and capability were carefully noted. From the impres-
sions thus formed, backed by a careful examination of their
statistics, past and present, and of thoir fiscal history, the
villages of each tract were differentiated and grouped with similar
villages into assessment circles. The actual circles formed at the
present assessment differed in no noteworthy respects from those
adopted by Mr. McCoiiaghey, the natural soil divisions of the
district affording a ready and sound- basis for differentiation*
Thus the villages of the central loam tract, though physically
fairly uniform, were, as a matter of convenience, and to avoid
all danger of over-assessing in the less favoured, grouped into
two circles, the first comprising the best villages with perfect
irrigation or a larger portion of the better soils and the better
cultivating castes, and generally with a higher revenue-bearing
-capacity, and the second containing the remainder of the villages.
1& the northern hhur tract, again, the presence in some villages
of canal irrigation with its attraction for population, its incentive
to closer and more lucrative cultivation and generally the great
stability derived from its protection, necessitated a similar
differentiation of these villages from those still outside the
canal area or only partially within its infiuence. The same
considerations applied to the southern mixed tract, owing to the
new Bhognipur canal, which now runs through tahsil Shlkphabad.
The villages on the Jamna ravines, owing to the unique charac-
teristics of this tract, naturally formed a separate circle of. |h^
own. And t^e villages along the Kali Kadi, whiph^h^d for. tne
most part suffered severe depreciation during the. last seti^qipen^
were, chiefly for this reason, formed into a separate cirple^
The rates quoted by villagers nearly always represented tiuf
latest competition rents for specific plots in any onejrabi (har)^
Adminii^raJliiM and Bevenue,
But such rents were^ in the first place^ based on a recent rapid
rise in prices during a series of abnormally dry seasons ; and
secondly, even if they could have been regarded as expressing
stable rental values, they would have given soil rates much too
high for assessment in the circumstances of the district. The
real problem of the assessment was the treatment of the large
body of old and inadequate protected rents, which could not,
however, bo abruptly enhanced beyond a certain level without
risk of danger. The sir and khudJcasht (land cultivated by
proprietors) amounted to only 12 per cent, of the whole, and was
practically all in the hands of poor proprietary communities,
mainly Thakurs and Ahirs. The rent-free and grain-rented areas
^ also, the first being unremuncrativo to the revenue payers and tho
second comprising for the most part very variable and most inferior
soils in which cultivation is spasmodic only, similarly needed
easy and safe treatment. Of the areas hold by tenants-at-will, com-
prising only 17 to 18 per cent, of the whole, the rents were found
to remain in most cases only partially collected. There were
left only some 13 to 14 per cent, of tho whole in the shape of
the later occupancy rents, which could be taken as stable and
not too high, but at the same time as adequate in the circum-
stances of the district. These later occupancy rents were accordingly
taken as a rough standard of fairness, the actual assessment
rates being ultimately extracted from the rents of a number of
representative normal and adequate occupancy holdings. Besides
these, the quoted rates ascertained from villagers, though not
used as a basis for assessment, wore of great importance as
revealing the existing proportional capacities of the several soils.
These proportions, being thus established, were expressed in
definite ratios by reference to a selected soil, and these ratios
wero then applied to tho almost universally prevailing lump
rents of the< representative holdings and the lump rents thus
.split np into their underlying soil values. From jthe latter,
^ tabulated village by village and circle by circle, the standard
assessment rates wofo deduced, representing in the final result for
the district in general the soil values of the actual rents being
paid, by occupancy tenants who had in the record year held their
boldines for at least twenty years, but not at the last settlement.
BesuUs of
the assess-
icent.
130 Mainpuri DistrioL
The next eiTect of these rates was to raise the older protected rents
for the purpose of calculating the assets approximately up to
the level of the new occupancy rents.
With these rents as a guide for comparison and valuation,
the actual recorded non -occupancy rental of the year of record
was reduced by Es. 40,175, or 7-5 per cent., to Rs. 5,78,780. On the
otherhand,the total occupancy rental, including the small expro-
prietary amount, was raised from Rs. 17,93,924 to Rs. 19,47,013,
that is by Rs. 1,53,089, or roughly 9 per cent. But of a sum of
Rs. 40,061, subsequently deducted from the assets as compensation
for improvements, Rs. 19,928 represented the new wells of tenants;
and this amount being deducted in detail from the rental enhance-
ments decreed on individual holdings by the rent courts, the .total
real occupancy enhancement was thus Rs. 1,33,161, or 7*4 per cent,
only. Theassumptionarea— that for which no cash rents are paid,
such as khudkaaht <&c.— was actually valued at Rs. 3,70,858, but
Rs. 47,372 of this were remitted as allowances to numerous and poor
proprietary communities on their lands actually self-cultivated,
thus leaving a net assessed valuation of only Rs. 3,23,486.
The grain-rented and rent-free areas, which are included in the
assumption area, were moderately valued also, the first at
Rs. 10,272 as compared with its valuation of Rs. 12,636 giwn
by the standard rates; and the rent-free at Rs. 1,04,811 as
compared with Rs. 1,26,686. The total assets or annual value thus
obtained were then adjusted by a lump deduction of a further
sum, viz. Rs. 90,515, for unstable or excess areas, which were
set aside from assessment as a further margin for fluctuations.
An addition of Rs. 740 for short cultivation and small mahala
assessed on average assets, and of Rs. 1,288 for assessable myar
profits (income of grass land, <&c.) (out of a total recorded income
of Rs. 27,288 >, and a deduction of the remainder of the Rs. 40,061,
already referred to, for zamindars^ improvements, then brought
the net assets of the district to Rs. 28,85,819, or, excluding the
figures for the four revenue-free villages, to Rs. 28,31,709. The^
assessments sanctioned aggregated Rs. 13,57,364, ab all-round
percentage of 47*93 of these latter assets; this aggregate rev-»
enue, however, not being reached till after ten years, but pro-
gressive from an initial revenue of Rs. 13,53,069. The expiring
AU'nfiifiistration ttnd Mevenue.
131
demand (revenue plus the owners’ rate or canal dues) of the
year of record being Us. 12,69,923, the now aggregate rovcniie
was thus an increase of Us. 87,441, or 6*89 per cent., but of
Rs. 56,527, or 4 per cent, only, on the initial re venue of Rs. 1 2,76,430
declared at the previous settlement. On the actual cultivated
area of the record year the new revenue thus fell at Rs. 2*30 per
acre. The rc-adjusting effect of the ro-asscssment is shown by
the fact that, while in 1,847 estates out of a total of 2,600 in the
district the now revenue exceeded tho expiring demand, on the other
hand, in 235 estates that demand was retained unchanged, and
in 518 estates it was actually reduced. Of tho increase in the
demand a very large portion was directly due to tho increased
values conferred by tho now canals or new extensions of tho older
systems, the rest being duo to tho natural rise of rents and values
consequent on a marked rise in prices and population. Although,
os explained, the circumstances of tho district compelled in the
assessments a largo interference with tho prevailing low rents of
the protected tenants, yet, briefly put, tho distinguishing feature
of tho recent re-assossment was that it was based on the actual
assets and, not like tho previous settlement, on a valuation, that
is, an estimate of what tho value of the land ought to be. The
assessment rates of the recent revision did not pretend to express
actually prevailing rental values, but represented primarily tho
rates of rents twenty years before. At tho previous settlement, on
tho other hand, tho assessment rates admittedly represented the
prevailing rates at the time, that is, the rents which wore being
actually paid by fair representative holdings, and which could|
on purely economic grounds, be imposed on all similar lands
at the time. Bat undoubtedly such rates were in general much
above, and in detail often very considerably above, the ordinary
level of t!io rents being paid by the very large body of the pro-
tected tenants whoso rents are not free to respond to merely
economic factors. And these rates, besides tending to impose on
tile protected area a valuation which, however fair as compared
with present values, gave an abrupt enhancement often too
severe to be borne all at once, were also inclined to take into
account, however unconsciously, a mere prospective rise in
,y,al?^0|H-a factor which not merely discounted future improvement
182
McSn'pWfi DUMd.
IVfliM
stitioiM.
Oriine,
but also tended to make the initial demand very full^ if not
Qovere^ upon the actual assets of the moment.
The police force is under tho control of the Superintend-
ent of Police, subordinate to whom are the deputy superintend-
ent of police, the reserve inspector, the prosecuting inspector,
and two circle inspectors. The regular civil police force con-
sists of 25 sub-inspectors, 15 head constables and 330 constables
posted at the various stations, and 7 sub-inspectors, 12 head
constables and 17 constables in the reserve. The armed police
comprise 1 sub-inspector, 20 head constables and 127 constables,
all of whom are kept at headquarters or at tahsils. In addition
to these there are 3 head constables and 82 constables employed
in Mainpuri city for watch and ward, 47 town chaukidars in the
Act XX towns, and 21 provincial chaukidars in the notified areas
of Shikohabad town and Mainpuri civil station. The roads are
patrolled by 104 road chaukidars, and watch and ward is kept
in the villages by 1,759 village watchmen, an average of one to
every 460 of the population.
The district is divided up into 12 police circles. The circle
boundaries bear no relation to the fiscal subdivisions, being con-
terminous with neither the parganas nor the tahsils except in
tahsil Mustafabad. The police stations are situated at Mainpuri,
Ghiror and Kuraoli in the Mainpuri tahsil ; at Bbongaon, Bewar
and Eishni in Bhongaon ; at Kurraand Karhal in the Earhal tahsil;
at Shikohabad and Sirsaganj in the Shikohabad tahsil; and at
Mustafabad and Eka in the Mustafabad tahsil. The population
of ^ch circle will be found in the appendix. The average num-
ber of enquiries into cognizable cases made yearly at each station
is 96. These circles have recently been redistributed, a new one
being created at Mustafabad, while four were abolished at
Barnahal, Auncha, Pharha and Jasrana. The figures in the
appendix are those of the 1901 census for the old circles. There
are police outposts at Pharha, Auncha, Barnahal (to be trans-
ferred to Narangi Bah) and Punchha, the two last being on the
Jamna.
The statistics given in the appendix will throw some light
on the amount and the nature of the crime prevalent in the
district, and will be found to present few peculiar features,
Admim^raiion and Revenue^
133
From time to time outbreaks .of dacoity^ especially in years of
scarcity like 1897^ call for energetic action on the part of the
local authorities. Not. infrequently Ihesc are the work of armed
gangs of professional^ dacoits who make a carefully planned
and organized attack on the house of some wealthy bania or
zamindar. Such gangs consist, as a rule, of local bad characters,
but will sometimes recruit assistants from neighbouring districts
and the Gwalior state. Sometimes a gang of this sort will
make a rapid raid through the district, committing several
dacoities in succession, the members of the gang dispersing to
their houses if they elude the vigilance of the police. Only
rarely do the inhabitants of the villages where the dacoities are
committed venture to make any combined attempt at self-defence.
The criminal tribe of Haburahs, and those almost equally lawless
wanderers, the Kanjars, have given a good deal of trouble in
the past in the matter of dacoities and robberies on the roads.
These crimes of violence are a comparatively recent development
in the case of the Haburahs, whose tendencies were formerly
all in the direction of the less ostentatious forms of larceny and
theft. Organized action in this and the surrounding districts has
for the time being put a stop to this nuisance. The ancestral
home of the Haburahs lies in the £tah district, on the border
near £ka police station, and camps of their womenfolk are
often seen on the march through this district, but the men, though
keeping in touch with the caravan, arc rarely to bo seen
accompanying it. Burglary, cattle theft and ordinary theft are
fairly common, and are not confined to any particular castes,
though the Aheriyas and Ahirs in the Eka police circle appear
to have an unusual predilection for these forms of crime. Most
of the circles can boast of one or two villages which are
favourite haunts of well known criminals and police suspects,
and in this Eka is pre-eminent, though there are several other
centres which reqtdre to be watched: such are Biltigarh in
Shikohabad Azampur, Silauta and Bajhera in Josrana; Man-
chhana in Mainpuri and Baijua in Sirsaganj. This list has
no pretensions to be exhaustive. Cattle theft is perhaps more
common than would appear from the returns. The Ahirs, who
ma fktt in tliA district, havo lonsT been
184
Femalo
infanti-
cide.
f
i
V
Mcmpv/ri Distrid, '
renowned for this among many other lawless practices. One
of their favourite devices is to pass on stolen cattle from village
to village where they have connections, until all possibility of
tracing the animals is lost. Another of their practices is the old '
border blackmail, the holding of cattle to ransom. It not
infrequently happens that the villager finds it less trouble to pay
the sum demanded than to leave the enquiry to the police.
The Mainpuri district has always been notorious as the
stronghold of female infanticide. This is chiefly due to its
being the principal homo of the Chauhan Thakurs, ^v]lo are well
known to have been addicted to the practice ; but Bhadauria, Tank
and Bais Thakurs as well as Kamharia, Ghosi and Phatak Ahirs
have also been suspected with good reason. Active measures
for the repression of this crime were first taken in 1842-3,
when Mr. Unwin issued a sot of rules for the supervision of the
Chauhan Thakurs and Phatak Ahirs, among whom it was most
common. The chaukidars in all Chauhan and Phatak villages
were at once to report at the police station the birth of any
female child. After verifying this report the officer in charge
of the station was to inform the Magistrate, who called for a
further report on the child^s healtli at the end of a month. Any
illness was to bo reported without delay and the case inspected by
a police officer, and in the event of the child^s death under
suspicious circumstances the corpse was sent to the Civil Surgeon
for a post mortem examination. These rules continued in '
force till they wore superseded by others under Act VIII of
1870. In 1843, the year in which they wore issued, there was
not a single female child to be found among the Chauhans ; in
1844 there were 156 female children alive; in 1845 there were 57 ;
in 1846 there were 222, and 299 in 1847. But though the rules
were beneficial they were inadequate, as it was very often
impossible to get such evidence as would secure the conviction
of a parent under the provisions of the existing law, even where
it was quite certain that a female child had been murdered.
Eeporting on Mr. Unwin’s rules in 1851, Mr. Eaikes proposed
a measure by which proof of gross neglect on the part of the
parents should render them liable to imprisonment, but nothing
was done to carry out the suggestion. He also attempted to
and JRevenue. 136
put down tho crime through the agency of the people themselves^
and with this object ho in 1861 assembled tho heads of tho
various clans at a conference at Saman and induced them* to
enter into an agreement to curtail their extravagant expenditure
on marriages. Tho sum of Rs. 500 was fixed as the limit o ?
tho dowry to be demanded by a bridegroom, tho presence of
Rrahmans and Bhats and the other attendants on marriages
was to be discouraged and the profuse outlay on tho wedding
feast in feeding tho numerous followers of the invited chiefs
was to bo reduced. A similar meeting, attended by tho leading
chiefs of all the neighbouring districts, was held soon afterwards
at Mainpuri by the Commissioner, and a set of rules drawn up
and signed by the Rajas of Mainpuri, Partabnair and Rampur.
These rules were, however, never observed, tho real motive for
extravagance, and therefore the hidden cause of infanticide,
lying entirely beyond the reach of any such regulations. A
Thakur’s ambition to make an illustrious alliance could only
bo gratified by purchasing a son-in-law of nobler blood than
his own ; tho nobler the lineage, the larger the sum. So long
as this costly ambition remained rooted in the Thakur, the
scale of expenditure could not be controlled. Tho habit of
contracting equal marriages had to bo naturalized to him, directly
by advice and encouragement, and indirectly by the enactment
of heavy pains and penalties to follow on tho destruction of
his daughters. In September 1866 Mr. B. Colvin made a census
of the Ohauhan and Phatak infant population, which showed
among the Chauhaus 2,066 boys and 1,469 girls, and among
the Phataks 699 boys and 423 girls. In six important Chauhan
villages not a single girl under six years of age was alive,
and within the memory of man there was never a daughter
known in them. Mr. Colvin at once selected Narayanpur, the
scat of one of tho younger branches of the Mainpuri house, in
which no female children were to be found, and, with the sanction
of Government, quartered upon it a force of additional police.
In 1866 the Chauhan girls had increased to 1,656, in 1868 to
2,019 and in 1869 there were 1,707 girls, tho falling off in this
year being attributed to tho ravages of small-pox. In 1870'an
enquiry into the question was held by Mr. LanC; and as :th 9
Mainpuri District*
186
result of it new rules under Act VIII of 1870 were introduced
in the following year. This enquiry showed that there were
in the district 606 villages in which Chauhans and Phataks
formed a part of the inhabitants. Among the Chauhan villages
316 were found to contain 40 per cent, and upwards of female
children where 27 years before not a single daughter had been
allowed to live. In other words 69 per cent, of the Chauhan
tribe throughout the district had reformed. Of the Phatak tribe
only 21 per cent, remained tainted with guilt. A marked
improvement had thcroforo been brought about by Mr. Unwinds
rules. But the attempt made by Mr. Eaikos to bring about a
reform by voluntary effort on the part of the tribes themselves
was a complete failure. ‘During 1869 the Eaja of Mainpuri,
one of the signatories at the Mainpuri meeting of 1851, married
his sister to the Eaja of Bhadawar in the Agra district. The
bridegroom’s family was higher in rank, and the alliance there-
fore to be paid for in proportion. The total cost did not fall
far short of a lakh and a half of rupees, for, though no actual
dowry (hadan) was fixed, yet, besides presents voluntarily sent,
the Bhadawar chief took whatever met his fancy when he came
for his bride, and there was practically no limit to what might
have been annexed by him but the exhaustion of the means
of the bride’s family or the good taste of the bridegroom himself.
However, in the following year the Mainpuri Eaja called a
meeting of his clan, and invited the District Officers to witness
his signature to an agreement to put down infanticide and
curtail marriage expenses similar to that adopted at the previous
conference. At this meeting one old Thakur told Mr. Lane
that he had nine daughters, of whom he had married two at a
cost of Es. 5,000 each, but to do the same for the other seven
would be his ruin; what was he to do? There was a generally
expressed opinion that a reduction in the scale of marriage
expenses was desirable, but it was obvious that it could not be
brought about except by a very radical and universal reform
in Thakur public opinion. Further enquiries instituted in
connection with the census of 1872 showed that ^'Inany tribes
hitherto never named in connection with infanticide were in
Veality maoh on the same standing mth those whose nunes bad
MiMmiakation mi Mevenue*
137
become a byword^ and showed figures time placed them on a
par with, and in somo cases below, those to whom the stigma
had alone hitherto attached.” The result was that in 1873
there w^erc 606 villages on the register, with a guilty population
of 33,288, amongst whom there were 10 inquests and 12 post
mortem examinations in suspicious cases. During the next
few years increased activity on the part of the new supervising
staff led to a great improvement, and under the rule by which
villages where 35 per cent, of the minor population were girls
could be exempted from the operation of the Act, the numbers
on the register were largely reduced, till in 1875 there were only
276 villages, containing 11,794 inhabitants, under supervision.
In 1905 the number of villages proclaimed had decreased to 83,
of which 19 were branded as specially guilty .” The number
of boys tinder 6 years of age in the proclaimed villages was
1,732 and of girls 1,215. A special police force consisting of
1 sub-inspector and 10 head constables was employed in keeping
up the registers, the expense being met by a tax levied on the
guilty villages. A special report was called for in that year
by the Local Government, wdiich was considering the question
of the retention of the Infanticide Act for the whole province.
After careful enquiry the Magistrate reported that 52 out of
the 83 villages might safely bo exempted, while of the remainder
14 were still “ specially guilty.” It was decided that so small
a number did not justify the maintenance of a special establish-
ment, and the provisions of the Act >vero withdrawn from
Mainpuri as from the rest of the province. It was, however,
directed that the villages still suspected should bo carefully
watched and the statistics examined again after five years, the
result being reported to Government.
There is only one jail in the district, and the Magistrate’s Jail
lock-up is situated within it. It is on an ancient and obsolete
plan, and has a bad reputation for the prevalence of dysentery.
The date of its construction does not appear to be known. The
earliest records available date from 1850, when the average
number of prisoners was 529, a figure which had sunk by 1900 to
864 and by 1908 to 323. The jail is of the second class, and the
ordinary manufactures of carpets, mattine) both of mmj and
138
Mainputfi
aloo fibrC; and cloth of various coarse kinds^ arc carried on^ the
total value of the manufactures produced in 1908 being Es. 4,314.
The excise administration is concerned with the manufacture
and sale of liquor and spirits, intoxicating drugs, opium and
tar i, and the statistics dealing with this branch of the administra-
tion will bo found in the appendix for the years 1890 to 1907. It
will bo soon that during this poriod tho receipts have more than
doubled, and they arc three times as great as they wctg forty years
ago. The district was for many years provided with a distillery,
but it was not a success. Only four or five stills were in use,
and the Kalwars, w-ho \voro both ignorant and unskilful,
found it more convoniont to import their liquor from Meerut and
Farrukhabad. The distillery W’as closed in 1906. The country
spirit consumed in tho district is that prepared from molasses.
Charas and hhang are the drugs chiefly consumod, the use of
ganja being very limited. Charm is imported from Hoshiarpur
and hliii'iig from Saharaupiir. The farming system has always
been in force and there is now only one contract for tho whole
district, instead of one for each tahsil as was formerly the case.
There has of recent years been a remarkable inflation in the price
of this contract, which at tho last auction realized Rs. 22,943,
whereas in 1890 it was disposed of for Rs.S,820 — this, too, in spite
of the fact that since 1890 a duty has been levied on the drug
itself. This is now Rs. 4 per ser on g%nja and Rs. 6 on charaSf
and about Rs. 6,000 a year is realized from this source. There
are now 62 shops in the district licensed to sell the hemp drugs.
The income is derived from license fees and duty, the latter
being included in the price of tho opium, which is sold at the
Government treasury at Rs. 17 a scr. The contract is given for
tho whole district to one person, but a monopoly and any undue
raising of the price are prevented by the sale of opium to all
comers at tho treasuries. There is a fairly large consumption of
opium in the district, amounting for some years past to about
12 maunds a year on the average. This refers to the exciseable
article, as it is of course impossible, in an opium-growing district,
to estimate how much of the crude drug is smuggled in spite of
all possible precautions on tho part of the Opium department.
There are 20 shops licensed to sell tho drug.
Admmi»tration and Revenue, 139
— -
Tarif tho fermented juice obtained from the tar or palmyra Tari,
palm by tapping, is not consumed to any very groat extent in
this district. The farming system has always been in vogue
except in the interval between 1890 and 1903, when the shop-to-
shop system was experimentally tried. This resulted in some
increase in the revenue, but was 'abandoned owing to tho trouble
and risk of loss involved in dealing with a nuinl)cr of small
vendors. The receipts from the sale of tarl reached their
maximum in 1899, whontlio sum of Rs. 4,723 was obtained, but
in 1908 they were only Rs. 4,225.
Stamp duties aro colic jted under tho Indian Sta’np Act (II Stamps,
of 1899) and tho Court Foes Act (VII of 1870). A table given
in tho appendix shows the total receipts from stamps for each
year since 1890-1, witli details for non-judieial and other stamps
and also tho cxpondituiv. Very few negotiable instruments aro
exGCuted, and the transactions consist chiclly of tho transfer of
landed property. Tho income from non-judicial stamps has
remained fairly stationary, with fluctuations from year to year,
but that from court-foo stamps has for some timo past shown a
steady tendency to rise and is now at a high level. This may bo
taken as a sign of prosperity, as litigation is an o.xponsive luxury
which cannot be indulged in in bad times. It is worthy of note
that in the famine year of 1896-7 tho receipts from court-fee
stamps dropped to tho lowest point they have reached during
the period.
Tho Registrar of tho district is the District Judge, subordinate
to whom are tho sub-registrars stationed at the headquarters of
each of tho tahsils, viz. at Mainpuri, Karhal, Bhongaon, Shikoh-
abad and Jasrana. The average receipts from registration for
the last ten years have boon Rs. 7,310 and tho expenditure
Rs. 4,428 for tho same period.
The introduction in 1903 of the new rules under which Idooi#
incomes of less than Rs. 1,000 aro exempted from taxation has
materially reduced the receipts under this head in Mainpuri. In
the year 1902*3 the net receipts w’ere Rs. 26,759, and in 1903-4,
the first year after the new rules came into force, they dropped ^
to Rs. 18,373. In the previous year the tax derived from incomes
of less than Rs. 1,000 amounted to Rs. 7,506, and was levied ;; ;
140
Madnpuri IHeK/rid.
Post
Office.
Tele- •
graphs.
Canal
tele-
graphs.
Municipa-
lities.
from 654 aBsessees^ while there were only 421 persons assessec
on incomes of Rs. 1,000 or more. In 1908-9 the total numbe:
of persons assessed was 415, of whom 819 paid on incomei
ranging between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 2,000 and 9G on incomes abov<
Rs. 2,000. The net receipts in both classes were Rs. 8,394 am
Rs. 10,060 respectively.
A list of the post offices is given in the appendix. Th<
headquarters office is situated in the civil lines at Mainpuri, anc
there are besides 10 sub-offices and 22 branch offices, whence
the mails are distributed to the villages in each circle. All thes(
offices arc now under imperial management, the district dai
having been finally abolished in 1 907.
The head telegraph office is at Mainpuri, with branch office*
at Karhal and Shikohabad. There is a line to Karhal alon^
the Karhal road, but elsewffiere the wires run along the railway,
which has a telegraph office at each station. Thus all the tahsil
headquarters except Jasrana are connected by telegraph witb
Mainpuri. The canal telegraph offices at Jera and Gopalpur arc
also available for the public, and wires run from the canal
office at Mainpuri to the Bewar branch at Bilon and the Cawn-
pore branch at Dannahar, from which two points the main lines
along the canals are tapped.
There are telegraph offices in connection with the wires
along the four main branch canals and the wire from Mainpuri
to Dannahar and Bilon at the following places : Mainpuri, Gopal-
pur, Tarha, Jalalpur, Ghiror, Bujhia and Shikohabad. At
several bungalows a camp instrument can be set up, these places
being called interpolating stations, viz, at Muhkampur, Danna-
har, Bhanwat, Dhanraus on the Cawnpore branch ; at Bewar^
Barauli, Bilon and Majholi on the Bewar branch ; at Patikra;
Gangsi and Bilanda on the Etawah branch, and at Bhadan on
the Bhognipur branch. The canal telegraphs are available pri-
marily for departmental use in regard to the regulation of sup-
ply at the regulators and escapes and other departmental matters,
and secondarily for the use of the public.
The only municipality in the district is the principal town
Mainpuri. There are no records available to show how the
affairs of the town were managed in the early days of British
Hitiiory,
149
a Bite for a memorial building. Until the end of the century no
more is heard of the district. In 1392 Bir Bahan,* the muq-
adda of Bhongaon, joined Narsingh, the Tomar chief of G walior,
and Sarvadharan of Etawab, in a rebellion against Muhammad
Shah Tughlaq, but the revolt was crushed and the country of the
rebels laid waste.
Evidently the whole of this portion of the Dual) was now in
a very disturbed and insecure state, for the Emperor had found
it necessary some few years before to make Jalesar, in the Etah
district, his headquarters in order to be able to exercise a more
efficient control, and, when recalled to Delhi at the end of 1392
on account of troubles in the north, was obliged to send an army
under Mukarrab-ul-Mulk to keep order at Jalesar. Nor was the
qirecautiou unnecessary. No sooner had the Emperor gone than the
Bajput clans once more broke out into open rebellion headed
again by Bir Bahan and Sarvadharan. Mukarrab-ul-Mulk, who
was despatched against the insurgents, tried conciliatory methods,
and by lavish promises and engagements induced the chiefs to
surrender and accompany him to Kanauj, where he treacherously
put them to death with the exception of Sarvadharan, who escaped.
But this dishonest victory ^vas of no lasting boneiit. On the
death of Muhammad Shah in January 1394 and the accession of
his youngest son Mahmud Shah, owing to the turbulence of the
base infidels the affairs of the fiefs of Hindustan had fallen into
such confusion ’’ that it was found necessary to divide up the
empire and appoint a viceroy to govern the eastern provinces
under the title of Maliku-sh Sharq, or King of the East, with
authority over all Hindustan from Kanauj to Bihar. This was
the beginning of the Jaunpur kingdom which was to prove here-
after such a thorn in the side of the Delhi empire. The first act
of Khwaja-i-Jahan, the new viceroy, on proceeding to his charge
was to ** chastise the rebels of Etawah, Kol, Kahura-Kanil, and
the environs of Jaunpur,” after which he went on to Jaunpur,
..where he gradually consolidated his power. Hence forward Main-
puri, like the rest of the Duab, becomes a sort of debateableland
on ^ichliha various pretenders to the throne of Dehli fought
out their claims. The year 1394 ended with two rival kings, one
Forma-
tion o£
Jaunpur
Kingdom.
160
Mainpmi DiMrid.
at Delhi and the other at Firozabad, with daily skirmishes taking
place between their adherents. This eoiitiimed till 1398, when a
third aspirant, in the person of Ii][bal Khan, entered the arena,
and by a combination of violence and treachery established
himself as virtual sovereign at Delhi while professing to restore
Muhammad Shah, who was, however, a mere puppet in his
hands. But tho new regime had only lasted a fc\v months >vhoii
the invasion of Timur drove both king and minister to take
refuge in flight. Tho whole Diiab was laid waste with fire and
sword, and in the next year, 1399, after tho invader’s return to
Samarkand, pestilence and famine visited the ravaged land.
Another period of anarchy followed. Nusrat Shah, tho old
pretender, once more made head against I qbal Khan, and the holders
of outlying fiefs set up as independent princes, Malik Mubarak, the
adopted son of the viceroy of tho East, taking the title of Sultan
Mubarak Shah. The Hindu chiefs of Mainpuri and Etawah were
not likely to lose such an opportunity to assort their independence,
but \vere again unsuccessful, being defeated in 1400 l)y Iql)al Khan
at Patiali in tho Etah district. Tho fugitives were liuntod all across
Mainpuri up to the Etawah border, Iqbal Khan now marched
against Mubarak Shah, but after tho armies had lain facing one
another on opposite sides of the Ganges for two months both depart-
ed home without bloodshed. Next year (1401) Iqbal Khan returned
to Kanauj with the titular Emperor Muhammad Shah, who resented
his humiliating position and took an early opportunity of leaving
his too powerful minister and going over to the Jaunpur army.
Here, however, he was coldly received, and so proceeded to
Kanauj, where he established himself and was left in peace by
both parties, who, as before, returned to their homes without
a battle. Another rising of tho irrepressible liajputs in 1404
ended with the siege and capitulation of Etawah, after which
Iqbal Khan made an attempt on Kanauj, but without success.
In the following year he w’as killed in the Punjab, and Muham-
mad was invited back to Dehli, Kanauj soon after falling into
the hands of Ibrahim Shah, who had succeeded his brother
Mubarak Shah as King of Jaunpur.
After several years of turmoil and confusiou Khizr Khan
the Saiyid succeeded in 1414 to Muhammad and sent his general
iM
Taj-ul-Mulk to pacify Hindustan. Sapri was still in the hands
of a Musalman amir, Hasan Khan^ who with his brother Malik
Hamza hastened to wait upon the Emperor’s representative. But
the rest of the neighbouring Duab was evidently as insubordinate
as over and Taj-ul-Mulk had to wrest Jalesar from the infidels
of Chandawar in order to restore it to Musalman control, while
the way in which the same infidels are recorded as having bowed
their necks to the yoke of obedience ” and paid in their taxes,
clearly indicates that this submission was an unaccustomed thing.*
Taj-ul-Mulk returned to Delhi by way of Etawah, “ chastising
the infidels,” presumably the Rajputs of Mainpuri and Etawah, as
he went. But the Thakur clans were not easily to be tamed, By
1420 they wore again in rebellion, and another punitive expedi-
tion under Taj-ul-Mulk had to be despatched against them.
After crushing the revolt in Aligarh, the imperial troops marched
to Mainpuri, where they destroyed the village of Dehli, or Dihuli,
in Barnahal, described as the strongest place in the possession
of the infidels,” and then, as now, the headquarters of a colony of
Bais Rajputs. The Etawah chief was soon forced to submit, and
after laying waste Chandawar and its neighbourhood the army
proceeded into Rohilkhand.
In 1426 the Jaunpur king, Ibrahim Shah, made another Fall of
attempt on Delhi, but was defeated in a pitched battle to the
west of the Jamnaand his force retreated by Rapri to their own
country, being followed by the enemy as far as Batesar. f The
new Amir of Rapri, Qutb Khan, son of Hasan Khan, would seem
to have made common cause with the Chauhans, Rathors and
Bhadaurias in the rebellious which occurred, year after year, at
this time, for in 1429-30 the fief was taken away from him by
Mubarak Shah, the successor of Khizr Khan, and given to his
uncle, Malik Hamza, who had wisely attached himself to the
imperial interests. § On the death of Mubarak’s successor
Muhammad, however, and the accession of Ala-ud-din in 1444,
Qutb Khan was once more in possession of Rapri, to which were
also attached the fiefs of Chandawar and Etawah. At the same
time Rai Partab held Bhongaon, Patiali, and Kampil. *The
latter was evidently a personage of some note, for we find him
» n. n. r fv sa i 4 nu tv as i 4 ilid, tv. ar. r i ihid. TV. 48S.
Mainpuri JM$lnct,
heLodii.
16i! .
among the first consulted by Ala-ud-diu, who, though titular
Lord of the World, was actually master only of Delhi and its
environs, as to the best means of strengthening his position.
The father of the Emperor’s Wazir, Hamid Khan, had, some
years before, carried off the wife of Rai Partab and plundered his
estates. The Eajput chief, implacable in his vendetta, offered his
assistance but demanded as the price of it the death of Hamid
Khan. Ala-ud-din unwisely embraced the injured husband’s
cause and gave orders for Hamid Khan’s execution, but the
wazir escaped and seizing Delhi offered it to Bahlol the Lodi.
Ala-ud-din retired to Budaiin, and soon after resigned his crown
to Bahlol, who in 1450 assumed the imperial title.* Thus the
rape of the Chauhanin Rani of Bhongaon w^as the cause of the
down fall of the Saiyid dynasty.
With the accession of Bahlol the truce with Jaunpur which
had continued through the last years of the Saiyids came to an
end, and Mahmud, who had succeeded Ibrahim, marched on
Delhi, but was defeated, Bahlol then preceded to establish his
power firmly, and with this object made a progress through his
dominions, visiting the various fiefs whose governors had, during
his predecessor’s feeble reign, become practically independent.
Some were confirmed in their authority, some were dispossessed,
and all were compelled to recognize his suzerainty. Rai Partab,
** chief of the zamindars in those parts, was confirmed in his poss-
ession of Bhuinganw.” At Rapri, Qutb Khan attempted resistance,
but his fort was speedily captured, and he then submitted, where-
upon he also was confirmed in his jagirs.i^ In the meanwhile,
Mahmud of Jaunpur, at the instigation of Malika Jaban, the
chief lady of his harem, who was related to the deposed Emperor
Ala-ud-din, advanced with a considerable force against Bahlol
and encamped near Etawah. After an indecisive engagement,
by the good offices of Rai Partab and Qutb Khan, a treaty of
peace was made, the principal provisions of which wore that
Bahlol should keep the territories which had belonged to Mubarak
Shah, while Mahmud should be left in possession of these
formerly hold by Ibrahim of Jaunpur. The latter was also to
hand over Shomsabad to one Rai Karan, son of the Rai of Gwalior.
! £. H. I., IV. 74, 79. I t Y, 79 and IV, 489«
amcry.
XDii
This last condition was not observed and Bahlol had to expel
the Jaunpur governor from Shamsabad by force of arms,*
Mahmud, regardless of the treaty, at once marched on Shams-
abad and some skirmishing ensued, in the course of which Qutb
Khan Lodi, the cousin of Bahlol, was taken prisoner. The war
was terminated by the death of Mahmud and another peace was
made on the old terms. Once more, however, a woman was the
cause of war. This time it was the chief lady of BahloPs harem,
who was Qutb Khan’s sister. She sent a message to the Sultan,
bitterly reproaching him with his supinenoss in allowing her
brother to remain a captive, and threatening to kill lierself unless
he were released. Bahlol at once sot out against Muhammad
Shah, the successor of Mahmud, who, equally ready to resume hos-
tilities, without loss of time attacked Shamsabad and occupied
’5iit. This success alarmed Kai Partab, who hastened to abandon
the cause of Bahlol and go over to the victorious party of
Muhammad Shah. The latter crossed the Maiiipuri district by
forced marches until he reached Sarseni near Rapid, whore Bahlol
was encamped. Some fighting took place between the two
armies,t but a disastrous night manoeuvre, which resulted in the
capture of one of Muhammad Shah’s brothers and the headlong
flight of another back to Jaunpur, compelled that prince to beat
a retreat to Kanauj.
Hero he found that Husain Khan, the brother who had flqd
from Rapid, had been proclaimed king in his absence by the
queen-mother in revenge for the murder of another of her sons
by his orders. A battle followed between the brothers in which
Muhammad Shah was defeated, and after his subsequent murder
peace was once more made between the two kingdoms, Qutb
Khan Lodi being released in exchange for Jalal Khan the Jaunpur
prince, and Rai Partab again returning to his old allegiance.};
But neither the new peace nor the renewed loyalty was destined to
endure. Shamsabad was once more the stumbling-block. Bahlol
again drove out the Jaunpur governor, reinstating his own nomi-
nee, Rai Karan. Almost immediately afterwards Rai Partab’s
son, Narsingh Deo, was murdered by Darya Khan, a cousin
of &hlol. In revenge for this deed the Bhongaon chief conspired
• S, ILI., V. 80.
I \lHd. 81,
I 88.8i.
164
Mainjmri District*
with Qutb Khan of Rapri and other nobles, and they went over
in a body to the Sharqi monarch.* Weakened by these defections
Bahlol had to retire to Delhi, whence he was summoned to Multan
by news of trouble in the Punjab. Before he had gone far he
was recalled in haste to meet a fresh invasion by the Jaunpur
army, and, after a bloody but indecisive action lasting seven
days, one more truce was made for three years.f The history of
the next few years is one of the continual renewal and breaking
of truces with equal discredit to either party, but with gradually
increasing advantage to Sultan Bahlol, who in 1483 dealt his
enemy a severe blow by falling upon him as ho was marching
unsuspiciously off after concluding yet another treaty. By this
treachery Bahlol took many prisoners, among others Malika
Jahan, the chief wife of Husain Khan, and also got possession
of several of the Jaunpur parganas. Husain Khan turned at
Bapri and faced his enemy, but a battle was averted by the
conclusion of the usual truce. This time it was Husain Khan
who broke his word, incited thereto by his wife, who, though
honourably treated and quickly returned to her husband, had
not forgiven Bahlol for the insult of her captivity. A desperate
battle was fought at Sonhar in Etah. Husain Khan was routed
and fled to Rapri, whither he was followed by Bahlol. In another
sanguinary engagement Husain Khan was once more defeated
and driven in flight across the Jamna, losing many of his wives
and children in the passage of the river. Bahlol proceeded to
occupy Etawah and then advanced against Jaunpur, which
he captured, eventually driving Husain Khan into BiharJ
(1479). The Jaunpur kingdom thus ceased to have an independ-
ent existence, but Bahlol, instead of dividing it up into separate
flefs, conferred it as a whole on his son, Barbak Khan, an act
which was destined to cause trouble to Delhi in the future. At
the same time he portioned out the rest of his dominions among
his other sons. Nizam Shah, afterwards called Sikandar, was
nominated his heir and successor and received Delhi and several
districts in the Duab • to Alam Khan were allotted KaiTa and
Manikpur; to his grandson Azam Humayun Lucknow and
• E. Hri.7lV, 85 with notes. | - 1 IbiJ,
t E, H. L, V. 86-90.
History*
155
Kalpi ; and Baliraicli to Muliamraad Furmuli ; while Khan Jahaii,
a relative and one of his oldest officers, obtained Budaun.*
^ Until BahloPs death in 1188 the Dual) enjoyed a period of
lUiwoDted peace, but with the accession of Sikandar the old
disorders broke out anew. Many of the nobles regarded Azam
llumayun as the rightful heir,f and the new Emperor’s two
brothers Alain Khan and Barbak Shah espoused their nephew’s
cause. The former fortified himself at Rapri, but was soon com-
])elled to take refuge in flight, and Rapri was made over to
Khan Jahan, or Khaii-Khanaii Lohani as he is sometimes called,
who remained consistently loyal to liis new master.
Sikandar then proceeded to Etawah, whore he spent the
rainy season. Here a reconciliation was effected with Alam
Khan, and, in order to detach him from Azam Humayuu’s inter-
ests, Etawah was conferred upon him as a fief.f After a success-
ful campaign against Biana, which had rebelled, Silcandar had
to meet an attack made by Barbak Shah. The latter was defeated
in a battle at Kanauj and compelled to surrender at Budaun,
whither ho bad fled. The emperor, with a clemency most unusual
at tho period, not only forgave him but replaced him on tho
throne. Barbak, however, jiroved unable to keep order in his
kingdom, and when Sikandar, who had already suppressed one
rising of the insubordinate Bachgoti Rajputs, was called to Jauii-
pur to put down a secroud, he abandoned the effort to maintain
his brother on the throne, and in 1494 Barbak was sent in
chains to Delhi. § This was the end of tho Jaunpur kingdom,
after an independent existence for a century, and for many years
to come Mainpuri and the surrounding Duab, in ceasing to bo
the battle ground of tho two kingdoms, cease to interest tho
chroniclers. One more attempt was, however, made in 1518 on
the accession of Sikandar’s son Ibrahim by the latter’s brother
Jnlal to set up an independent monarchy at Jaunpur. But on the
Emperor’s marching to Kanauj his rival’s forces molted away
and he was soon after taken prisoner and privately executed,'
It Avas the Amir of Rapri, Khan Jahan, who was mainly
responsible for this easy conquest, as it was owing to his remons**
• Firishla, L.660. I t B. H. I., IV. 446 note.
I E. H. I., IV. 466 note. • § Ibid. IV. 466. V. 92-94.
Bikaudai
Lodi.
Babftr,
166
Mainpuri Listrict.
[nietnal
liaoider.
trances that the supporters of Jalal abandoned his cause and
went over to Ibrahim Shah.* But the latter’s cruel and suspicious
temper soon gave his partisans reason for regretting their choice^
and his reign was disturbed by continual revolts and invasions,
and when in 1526 he was defeated and slain by Babar at
Panipat, there was no longer an empire, but a mere aggregation
of petty principalities. The governors of the various fiefs all
asserted their claims to indopondonce and declined to submit to
Babar as resolutely as they had refused obedience to Ibrahim.
Eapri was held by Husain Khan Lohaiii, Etawah by Qutb Khan,
and Kanauj and the whole country beyond the Ganges by the
Afghan Farmulis.f The latter arc described by Babar as
particularly bold and contumacious. They even advanced against
Agra and fortified themselves at an unnamed point in the
Mainpuri district, three marches distant from Kanauj.]; An
expedition under Prince Humayun reduced the Afghans to
order, but when in 1527 Babar was threatened by the Bajput
confederacy at Biaua, his troops and governor were obliged to
abandon Kanauj, while Husain Khan once more occupied Bapxi,
Qutb Khan seized Chandawar, and the whole Duab broke out
into insurrection. § The very day after his great victory at Sikri
Babar despatched an army into the Duab, which without difficulty
restored order. But in 1528, while the Emperor was at Chanderi,
his lieutenants were attacked in Oudh and driven back to
Kanauj, and from there compelled to fall back on Eapri. No
sooner had Chanderi fallen than Babar hastened to their assist-
ance. Crossing the Jamna just below its junction with the
Chambal, he advanced on Kanauj, the enemy fleeing before him in
every direction. On the Ganges, beyond Kanauj, they made a
stand, but were utterly defeated, nothing but a whim of the
conqueror’s for delaying further action till the anniversary of
the victory of Sikri saving them from complete destruction by
giving them time for escape. || The power of the Afghans was
now broken and their fiefs were redistributed. .
Henceforward Eapri ceases to be mentioned as a separate
administrative division of the empire and its territories seem to
♦ B.H.I.,V.8. I tE.H.I.,IV, 263. I J /Wrf. IV, 266*
History,
167
have been merged in those of Etawah to the south and Firozabad
to the north. On the accession of Humayun in 1530 civil
r strife again broke out, and Kanauj and its neighbourhood were
constantly the theatre of war. The embarrassments of the
supreme government were evidently the opportunity of the unruly
Rajput clans of Maiiipuri, and from occasional hints it is clear
that the whole countryside was in a most disturbed condition.
After Ilumayun^s defeat by Sher Shah at Kanauj in 1540 ho
fled with a 'small following towards Agra through the district.
“ When they reached the village of Bhuingaon, the peasants, who
were in the habit of laundering a defeated army, stopped up
the road, and one of them wounded Mirza Yadgar with an
arrow But under the iron rule of Sher Shah during the next
- y five years these disorders ceased. Even the intractable Ahirs
/ and Mewatis in the Jamna region were compelled to submit by
having 1,200 horsemen quartered on their villages, f and so
complete was the order that prevailed throughout Hindustan
that a decrepit old woman might place a basket full of gold
ornaments over her head and go on a journey, and no thief or
robber would come near her, for fear of the punishments which
Sher Shah inflicted.” J But the other princes of the house of Sur
had little of the talent or the energy of the founder of their line,
and when Akbar succeeded his restored father in 155G the empire
was once more rent with dissensions between the nobles and a prey
to internal anarchy. An interesting light is thrown on the
condition of the country by the account of Akbar’s adventure at
Paraunkh in pargana Bewar with the local Bais Rajputs in
1562. The Emperor was on his way to Sakit on a hunting
expedition when a Brahman complained to him that dacoits from
that region had murdered his son and plundered all his property.
Akbar at once resolved to punish the offence, and advanced with
his elephants and retinue to the village Paraunkh in Bewar where
the dacoits had taken refuge. The number of men with the
imperial camp amounted to only a few hundred with 200 ele-
phants, while the dacoits were said to number four thousand.
Nevertheless Akbar ordered the village to be attacked, himself
leading the assault. A desperate hand-to-hand conflict ensued
• E.H. I.,Y144. I ti»M.lY,4X0. f
MmnpihTi uistfiot
15».
Akbar’s
roorgiiniz-
atioii.
Nawabs of
Farrukh-
abad.
lasting several hours, and it was only by scjttiiig lire to the*
village that the dacoits wi‘rc ultimately overcome.
In Akbar’s great reorganization of his empire, tlui tract of
country which is now tin.* Mainpuri district was all included in
the mhah of Agra, and divided between the sarkars of Agra and
Kanauj. These sarhars were further subdivided, for revenue
purposes, into mahalSf on each of which a certain fixed sum was
assessed and from which a certain contingent of troops was levied.
One of these mcthals was Rapri in the sarkar of Agra, mentioned
as possessing a brick fort. It comprised the existing parganaa
of Ghiror, Mustafabad, and 8hikohabad, and its^ cultivated
area was 477,201 highas, on which 1,35,08,035 dams of revenue
were paid. The population consisted mainly of Chauhaus, who
had to supply a contingent of 200 cavalry and 4,000 infantry
to the imperial army. The niahal of l^tawah, in the same earkar,
included the two Mainpuri parganas of Karhal and Barnahal, but
what proportion of the total 284,100 hlgkiff of cultivation they
accounted for there are no moans of knowing. The chief castes
were Chauhans and Bhadauriya Brahmans, and the whole malial
was liable for 1,07,39,325 dams and a contingent of 2,000 cavalry
and 15,000 infantry. The rest of the district was within the
Kanauj sarkar, Bhongaon, noted for its fort and a neighbouring
“tank called Somnat full of water extremely sweeV^, paid
45,77,010 dams on 3,37,105 of cultivation, and could j>5
called upon to furnish 1,000 horsemen and 10,000 foot frpm'lts
Chauhan population. Alipur Patti, assessed at 11,53,682 clhms
on 38,418 highas, was chiefly inhabited by Rajputs, and their
contingent was 20 horse and 600 foot. Sauj, now divided
'between Karhal and Mainpuri, was the home of the Dhakara
clan of Rajputs, evidently a warlike rather than a cultivating
race, as, though the area of their mahal was 64,070 bighns, or
nearly twice as great as Alipur Patti, its revenue w’as only
12,00,000 dams, and they were expected to supply 200 cavalry
and 3,000 infantry. The mahal of Kuraoli 40,445 highas in
area, paid 14,09,988 dams and farnished.20 horsemen only, and
1,000 foot. The landholders were Rajputs.
Under the rule of Akbar and his successors Jahangir
and Shahjahan, Matnpuiiv and its neighbourhood enjoyed a long
HiMofry.
169
period of quiet, which continued unbroken during the long reign
of Aurangzel) (1G58 — 1707), though the rest of tin* empire was
r now suffering from the inroads of the Marathas. It was at this
time that a house was founded which was destim d to play a very
important part in the history of the empire and of this part of
the Duab. Horn about 1G65, Muhammad Khan was the sou of a
Ilangash Afghan who had settled a few years before at Mau
Rashidabad in what is now the Farriikhabad district. Early in
life he took to the profession of arms and was for many years
a mercenary freebooter in the service of various Rajjis of Bun-
delkhand, His courage and ability soon gained him a consider-
able reputation and in 1712 he was recognized as an ally whose
favour was worth courting. In that year Bahadur Shah, the
- ^ successor of Aurangzeb, died, and after a struggle among his
sons the throne was secured by Jahandur Shah. But it was soon
claimed by his nephew Farrukhsiyar, who, supported by the
sul)ahdar3 of Bohar and Allahabad, defoato I Jahandar Shah’s son
Azz-ud-din at Khajuha in the Fatehpur district. After the vic-
tory he was joined by Muhammad Khan with 12,000 men and a
second battle was fought at Samogar in the Agra district, result-
ing in the complete success of Farrukhsiyar, who rewarded his latest
supporter with various honours and grants of land in Bundcl-
khand and Farrukhabad. In 1702 ho received further advance-
ment a^d rewards at the hands of Muhammad Shah, and though
during the remainder of his long life he experienced various ups
and ddWi^s of fortune and court favour, at his death in 1743 his
poSisdBSions were popularly stated to embrace the whole Ganges-
Jamna' Duab from Koil in tho north to Kora in the south, and
certainly included practically the entire district of Maiupiiri/
It was in 1737, a few years before Muhammad Khan’s death,
that the Maratha inroads first penetrated to this part of the Duab.
In that year a large force under Baji Kao, after defeating the
raja of Bhadawar, crossed the Jamna near Rapri and laid siege
to Shikohabad. The governor, Lalji Khatri, saved the town
from destruction by the payment of a large sum of money, and ^
the invaders, after burning the neighbouring towns of Firozabad
and Itmadpur, were routed by Burhan-ul-Mulk and driven back
yrith fieavy losMcross the Jamna. . *
Mainpuri-SUtrid,
Abmad
Khan.
160 :
In 1748 Muhammad Shah was succeeded by his son Ahmad
Shah, who shortly afterwards appointed Safdar Jang, the Subah-
dar of Oudh, as his wazir. I'he inroads of Marathas and the in-
vasions of Nadir Shah in 1739 and Ahmad Shah Durrani in
1748 had severely shaken the stability of the central governmeni
and given to the provincial governors a dangerous degree
of power. One of the most influential of these was Ali
Muhammad in Rohilkhand, and the new wazir, who had
already quarrelled with him, looked with apprehension on hu
growing prestige. With Qaim Khan, the son of Muham-
mad Khan, he had also a hereditary feud, and he determined tc
set his two enemies at one anothcr^s throats, being certain to be
himself the gainer whatever the event. Accordingly on the death
of Ali Muhammad in 1749, after an abortive attempt to over-
throw his successor by other means, an imperial farman was
issued to Qaim Khan conferring on him the mahals of Bareilly
and Moradabad wrongfully usurped by Sadullah Khan, the sou
of Ali Muhammad. Qaim Khan fell into the trap laid for him
and set out to the conquest of his new territories with a large
force, but at Kadirganj on the Ganges in the Etah district he was
defeated by the Rohillas under Hafiz Rahmat Khan and killed.
Safdar Jang at once attempted to seize Farrukhabad and the
other Bangash parganas, but Ahmad Khan, the son of Qaim
Khan, collected his adherents and in 1750 defeated the Wazir’s
general Nawal Rae at Khudaganj, and the Wazir himself soon
afterwards near Patiali. Had the ambition and enterprise oi
Ahmad Khan been equal to his personal courage there is little doubt
that he might now have pushed on to Delhi and made himself
master of the Emperor’s person and virtual sovereign. He was,
however, far too easy-going in disposition to embark on such a
scheme and contented himself with the recovery of his family’s
former territories and the recognition of his title to them from
the Emperor. The administration of the various parganas was
given to his brothers and relations, Shikohabad, which included
Sakit, Knraoli and Alikhera, going to Azim Khan, and Bhon-
gaon and Bewar to the Majhle Nawab. Shadi Khan was sent
to occupy Kora, but was opposed and defeated by Ali^uli KhaOi
fhA ilAmifv in f.bA AllftbahAd Bubah. Ahmad Khan’s * reluctance
to move was overcome by the insistence of his counsellors and
he was’ persuaded to advance on Allahabad in person. While he
^ was besieging that town the wazir had had time to recover from
his defeat and had called in the Marathas to his assistance. The
approach of the united armies towards Farriikhabad obliged
Ahmad Khan to raise the siege of Allahabad^ and after some dis-
cussion he decided to return to protect his own home. But the
discouragement produced by this retreat proved too much for his
mercenaries and they melted away until when he reached Fateh-
garh he had too small a force to attempt to do more than hold
the fort. After a month’s siege a Rohilla army under Sadullah
Khan and Bahadur Khan came down to his assistance, but was
defeated by the Marathas, and Ahmad Khan then fled through
Rohilkhand to Kumaon, where ho remained till 1752, when a fresh
^ invasion of India by Ahmad Shah Durrani made Safdar Jang
and the Marathas anxious for peace. It was agreed that Rohil-
khand and Farmkhabad should bo evacuated on condition that .
Ahmad Khan took over the debt of thirty lakhs of rupees duo
from Safdar Jang to the Marathas as pay for their services, ced-
ing as security for the debt sixteen and a half of the thirty three
mahals comprised in his territories. The management of the
whole remained in the hands of Ahmad Khan, who paid the sur-
plus revenue, after deducting the cost of management and the
pay of the troops, to two Maratha agents stationed at Kanauj
and Aliganj. Payments continued to be made till the battle of
Panipat in 1761, when the Marathas left Hindustan for a time.
N'o list is given of the parganas ceded to the Marathas, but The
they certainly included Shikohabad, Karhal and Barnabal, for *•“
in 1764 these are stated to have been taken from them by Hafia
Rahmat Khan, the Rohilla. In the same year Safdar Jang died
and was succeeded by his son Shuja-ud-daula as Nawab of Oudh,
while Ghazi-nd-din Imad-ul*Mnlk became Wazir. In the mean-
while the Marathas had been recovering tbeirlost ground in the
■ North and in 1759 they invaded Rohilkhand, easily drivia#
Hafiz Rp.hniii.t and the Rohillas before them. Ihe latte* appUad
for help to 8huja-ud-danla, who, realiang better than hie fathe*
where the real danger to the empire lay, iBMehedt*thei*airieb.
ah«e from Ondh and defeated tiie Mantthae in a hattM om the
162
Mainpu/ri DistnW,
Gauges. The battle of Pauipat two years later, in which Ahmad
Shah Durrani was supported by both Shuja-ud-daula and the
Rohillas, broke the Maratha power and freed Hindustan from
them for some years to come. Ahmad Khan recovered his ceded
parganas with the exception of Shikohabad and Ktawah, the
possession of which was confirmed to Hafiz Rahmat.
Eng- . In 1764 Shuja-ud-daula first came in conflict with the Eng-
• lish and was defeated at Biixar, and in the following year he met
General Carnac’s force near Jajmaii and suffered another re-
verse. Reduced to extremity lie threw himself on his enemy's
generosity and proceeding almost unattended to the English
camp was honourably received. On the arrival of Clive in
August a treaty of alliance was entered into. The whole of his
former dominions werfe restored to 8hiija-ud-daiila with the ex-
ception of Kora and Allahabad, which were reserved for the Em-
peror Shah Alam as a royal demesne, and the English were bound
to assist him to the utmost of their ability if he was attacked.
On his part the Wazir undertook to pay 50 lakhs of rupees to
the English Government, and the Emperor formally assigned to
the Company the right of collecsting the revenues of Bengal,^
Behar and Orissa in consideration of an annual payment of 26
lakhs. Clivers object was the maintenance of a friendly buffer
state on the border of the English territories as a barrier against
the pei'petual inroads of the Marathas. But though Shuja-ud-
daula was willing enough to co-operate against what he recognized
to be the common enemy, the feeble Emperor, who had set his
■ heart on being restored to Delhi, was quite indifferent, and when
in 1771 the Marathas, who were now in possession of the capital,
opened negotiations with him, he acceded eagerly to all their
demands and conditions and in December of that year returned
to Delhi as their vassal. The Marathas at once recommenced
their incursions into Rohilkhand. The Wazir appealed to the
English for help, and a brigade under Sir Robert Barker was
despatched into Oudh. After a good deal of intrigue a reci-
procal treaty was entered into between the Wazir, the Rohillas
and the English for mutual assistance against the Marathas,
while the Rohillas bound themselves to pay 40 lakhs of rupees
to -the Wazir for his services. In i772 the Marathas, who had
♦ History*
168
now thrown off all pretence of respect for the Emperor, compelled
him to give them a grant of the provinces of Kora and Allah-
abad which had been assigned to him by tlie P]uglish, and again
entered Kohilkhand, but wore expelled by Sir Robert Barker’s
brigade. In the following year it was decided that the Emperor
had by his own act surrendered all title to Kora and Allahabad
and these districts were accordingly conferred on Shuja-ud-daula.
The Dual) parganas in the Etawah and Mainpuri districts, for-
merly acquired by Haliz Rahmat Khan, had been recovered in
1771 by the Marathas and wore still held by their garrisons.
The opportunity seemed to the Wazir a favourable one for round-
ing off his dominions by the addition of this region, so in 1774 he
advanced upon Etawah. N o opposition was made by the IMarathas,
who \vithdrtnv their troops froin the Duab, and from this time
forward the Main])uri parganas (jontinued to form part of the
domains of the Nawab Wazir of Oudh, and werii with them coded
to the British by the treaty of 1801.
Mainpuri became the headquarters of the civil administra-
tion and small cantonments wore established there and at
Shikohabad. In 1803 the great confederacy of thci Marathas
under Daulat Rao Sindhia and the C.-entral Indian chiefs assumed
such threatening proportions that a simultaneous campaign
against them was organized in Northern India and the Deccan,
and in August Lord Lake advanced through Kanauj and Main-
puri to attack (Jeneral Perron at Aligarh. While the British
force was engaged at Aligarh a l)ody of 5,000 Maratha horse
under M. P'leury, one of General Perron’s lieutenants, suddenly
appeared before Shikohabad and made a fierce attack on the
cantonment, whi(^h was commanded by Lt.-Col. Cunningham. The
whole force at that officer’s disposal consisted of 5 companies of
Native Infantry, and 1 gun, but the little garrison made so deter-
mined a resistance that after an engagement lasting ten hours
the enemy was repulsed with heavy loss. Two days later,
however, the attack was renewed and after several hours, resist-
ance the British commander, who was himself wounded as well as
four of his officers, was obliged to capitulate. The only condition
exacted was that the troops should not again be employed against
Sindhia during the campaign, and the garrison marched ont with
Atteokfl
Bhikoh.
abad.
"164 ifoiHjntn
all the houonrs of war, taking its one gun with it. The Marathas
then burnt and pillaged the cantonment. Immediately on receiv-
ing the news of the attack bn Shikohabad Lord Lake despatched
a detachment of cavalry under Col. Macan to its relief, but the
enemy, declining an engagement, retired precipitately across the
Jamna,
olkarat In November of the following year Holkar, in his flight
ainpuri. Parrukhabad where his army had been surprised and over-
whelmed by Lord Lake, passed through Mainpuri, and in revenge
for his defeat attacked the cantonment and fired the outlying
houses of the English residents. But Captain White with three
companies of provincial militia and one gun made good his
defence until the arrival of the British cavalry under Captain
Skinner, who had been sent in pursuit from Farrukhabad. The
enemy then abandoned tho attack and continued their flight across
the Jamna.
l^he At the beginning of 1867, Mr. (afterwards Sir John) Harvey,
tftttiay. the Commissioner of tho Agra division, was on tour in the
Mainpuri district when his attention was drawn to a mysterious
distribution of chapatls which was being carried on with aston-
ishing rapidity. Nothing could bo elicited from their bearers,
who appeared to know no more of tho purport of the symbols than
that on receipt of a cake five more were to be prepared and for-
warded without delay to villages further in advance along the line
of the Grand Trunk Road where they could be called for. In this
manner the cakes travelled often over 160 or 200 miles in a
night. Mr. Harvey saw some which had that morning been
delivered on the Etawah side of Mainpuri. On the following day
he heard of them at the extremity of Etah and Aligarh. Enquir-
ies were made as to the meaning of this mysterious move-
ment, but beyond a conjectural tracing of its source to Bundel-
khand or Nagpur and the fact that it was generally acknowleged
to be of Hindu origin, the recipients being for the most part
Hindus, nothing was discovered. In January the sullen demeanour
of the troopers of the 3'rd Light CaviJry who formed part of the
Cbmmander-in-Chief’s escort through Muttra and Bhartpur was
noticed and commented on, buttbeseseem to have been the odyin-
dications of iheeom1ngstonn,andtheyi^notbeededl at ttotite
y .. Bistory. 165
On the 11th of May a broken telegraphic message announc- Arrival od
ing the mutiny of the 3rd Cavalry at Meerut reached Agra, and
on the following day the tidings arrived at Mainpuri. A con-
sultation was hold, and it was decided to send away the women
and children to Agra, but only one family actually left. Rao
Bhawanl Singh, the uncle of the Raja of Mainpuri and claimant
to the raj, volunteorod to raise a body of Chauhan Thakurs, and
with his assistance Mr. John Power, the Magistrate, began to
enlist a force with which he hoped to resist any attack by mutinous
sepoys. The garrison of Mainpuri consisted of a detachment
of the 9th Native Infantry, the remainder of the corps being
quartered at Aligarh. Late on the night of the 22nd Rao
Bhawanl Singh awoke Mr. Cocks, the Commissioner, with tho
news that the 9th had broken into open mutiny at Aligarh, and
murdered their officers, and thiit they had sent an express to
their brethren at Mainpuri bidding them follow their example.
Mansur All, the tahsildar of Bhongoon, rode in with tho same
intelligence almost directly afterwards, and warned Mr. Power
that tho Mainpuri detachment was not to bo trusted. Arrange-
ments were at once made for the removal of the ladies and
children to Agra, whore they arrived safely escorted for tho first
stage by Mr. James Power, the assistant magistrate, and after-
wards by a sowar, Sheikh Amin-ud-din. Messrs. Cocks and Power
then proceeded to the house of Lieutenant Crawford, who com-
manded the station, and it was arranged that the detachment should
be taken out of their lines and marched to Bhongaon. Lieuten-
ant DeKantzow was sent on in advance with the main body and
Lieutenant Crawford followed him after leaving a small guard
at the treasury and quarter-guard. A council was then held at
Mr. Power’s house, consisting of Rao Bhawanl Singh, Mr. Cocks,
Dr. Watson, the Revd. Mr. Kellner and the Jail Darogah. The
Rao said he could answer for the loyalty of his followers, but
could not undertake to assemble them till the evening. The
Darogah was convinced that the Jail guard, consisting of 50 well-
drilled sepoys, would certainly imitate the conduct of the regular * «
troops.
By this time it was about four in the morning and the magistrate ifntiw ^
had only just retired to rest when Lieutenant Crawford galloped in
8oeii«at
the
hmiwy.
166
Mmnpuri DisHct,
and reported that his men had broken into open mutiny, and,
after refusing to obey his orders, had fired at him with their
muskets; adding that he believed Lieutenant; DeKautzow to
have been killed. He gave it as his opinion, when the question
was put to him, that nothing more could be attempted and
declared his own intention of riding off to Agra. In this
opinion Mr. C’oeks concurred, and the sepoys now approaching
the station, firing off their muskets and shouting, he and
Mr. Kellner drove off with Lieutenant Crawford. Mr. Power,
however, desperate as was the position, was not the man to
despair. He still hoped that Lieutenant DoKantzow^ might have
escaped, as Lieutenant Crawford had not actually seen him fall,
and resolved to do what he could to prevent the outbreak from
spreading to the city. With this object he proceeded to the
bridge over the Isau on the Grand Trunk Road, accompanied
by his brother, Mr. James Power, who had just returned from
escorting the ladies on the first and most dangerous stage of
their journey. At the bridge they were joined by Rao Bhawani
Singh with a small force of horse and foot and l)y Dr. Watson
with Sergeants Mitchell, Scott and Montgomery of the Road and
Canal departments, and Mr. McGlone, a clerk in the Magistrate’s
office. Here they took up their position, in the hope of keeping
the high road open and of preventing a junction between the
mutineers and the bad chara(;ters of the city. In the meantime
the sepoys had returned to the station, firing into and plundering
the houses of Sergeant ^lontgomery and Dr. Watson as they
passed and then breaking open and looting the magazine of the
rearguard, from which they carried off all the ammunition.
.Lieutenant DoKantzow was forced to accompany them as their
prisoner, and while the rearguard, was being plundered his life
was in the greatest danger.
** The men fired at random,” writes Mr. Power in his report
of the 25 th May,'^ and muskets were levelled at him, but wei^
dashed aside by some of the better disposed, who remember!^
perhaps, even in that moment of madness, the kind and generous
disposition of their brave young officer. Lieutenant DeKantzow
stpod up before his men; he showed the utmost coolness and
presence of mind ; he urged them to reflect on the lawlessness of
History,
187
their acts^ and evinced thojiitmost indifferoneie to his own life, in
his zeal to make the sepoys rotiirn to their duty. The men
turned from the rearguard to iho kiitehorry, dragging Lieu-
tenant DeKantzow with them. They were mot at the treasury
by my Jail guard, who wore prepared to oppose them and fire
on them ; but Mr. DeKantzow prevented them from firing, and
his order has certainly prevented an immense loss of life. A
fearful scene here occurred. The sepoys tried to force open the
iron gates of the treasury and were opposed by the Jail guard
and some of the Jail officials ; the latter rallied round Lieutenant
DeKantzow and did their best to assist him'; but they, though
behaving excellently, wore only a band of twenty or thirty (if
so many) and poorly armed against the infuriated sepoys, who
were well and completely armed, and in full force. Tt is im-
possible to describe accurately the continuation of the scene of
the disturbance at the treasury. Left by his superior officers,
unaided by the presence of any European, jostled with cruel and
insulting violence, buffotted by the hands of men who had
received innumerable kindnesses from him, and who had obeyed
him, but a few hours before, with crawling servility, Lieutenant
DeKantzow stood for three dreary hours against the rebels,
at tho imminent peril of his life. It was not till long after
Lieutenant DeKantzow had boon thus situated at the treasury,
that I learnt of his being there. I was anxious, with all my
heart, to help him, but was deterred from going by the urgent
advice of Kao Bhawani Singh, who informed mo that it was im-
possible to face the sepoys with the small force at ray disposal,
and I received at this time a brief note from lieutenant De
Kantzow himself, by a trusty emissary I sent in search of him,
desiring me not to come to the treasury, as the sepoys were
getting quieter, and that my presence would only make matters
worse, as tho beasts were yelling for my life. At this time the
most signal service was done by Eao Bhawani Singh, who went
alone to the rebels, volunteering to use his own influence and
persuasion to make them retire. He succeeded ably in his
efforts ; drew off and then accompanied the rebels to the lines,
where, after a space of time, they broke open and looted the
bells-of-aiftns and the quarter guard, carrying off, it is supposed,
Mainfuri DistrioL
m
Bs. 6,000 in money, and all the arms, .etc., they found of use to
them, I had returned, with the Europeans with me, to the Kaja
of Hainpuri’s fort on the departure of Rao Bhawani Singh,
according to his advice, and shortly after the sepoys Icfu the
treasury, Lieutenant DeEantzow joined mo, and I again took
possession of the kutcherry. I found on my return, the whole
of the Malkhana looted, tho sepoys having helped themselves to
swords, iron-bound sticks, etc., wbic!i had accumulated during
ages past. The staples of the stout iron doors of the treasury
had alone given way but the doors themselves stood firm.”
Tho treasure, which amounted to three lakhs of rupees, was
placed in tho Raja of Mainpuri's fort, under tho charge of Rao
Bhawani Singh, and Mr. Power then took up his position in
the court-house and 'prepared to stand a siege. Tho garrison
consisted of tho officers who had met at the bridge, with the
addition of Lieutenant DcKantzow and Messrs. Donovan and
Richards, from tho jail and tho treasury. Tho same day (May
23rd) news came in of tho outbreak at Fatehgarh, that Etah had
fallen, that Etawah had been sacked and that Europeans had been
murdered on the Grand Trunk Road. Without, I hope, being
considered an alarmist,'^ reported Mr. Power on the 25th, '' I
may venture to say our position is not pleasant ; but wo stand
well prepared and unable, even at such a moment, to resist
the temptation to poke fun at the High Court, whose latest cir-
culars on the subject of the weeding of files had cvideutly not
met with his approbation, he continues, “ all tho Foujdarry
(criminal court) records have been taken up to the roof of
the kutcherry, and being placed behind its railings form an
excellent breast work. This matter had better bo reported to
the Sudder (the High Court) ; but at the same time it may be
mentioned that the Foujdarry record room at My^poory has
undergone a thorough purification by the purpose to which its
contents have been applied. I may also mention, for the
Sudder’s information, that a good stout Ehana Jungee misl'
(judicial record of a case of affi.ay) prepared after the Sudder’s
last and most approved fashion, and thickened with false evi-
dence, is an excellent article of defence, and has, by experiment^
tioAn fnnnd tn lip bullet nrnof.’’ Old ffuns were also collected and
History^
m
mounted^ and othor arms were received from Agra^ while the
defences of the building were further strengthened by the digging
^ of a wide; deep ditch round it. The Zamindars of the district
remained loyal, offers of help coming in to the Magistrate from"
all quarters, and it was in a spirit of the most cheerful resolution
that the district officers addressed themselves to the hopeless task
of restoring order and preserving some semblance of government.
But the position of Mainpuri rendered this impossible. Lying
on the highroad to Agra and Delhi, it was tho focus on which
converged the rebels of tho Jhansi division, and of Cawnporo,
Farrukhabad and Gwalior, on thoir way to the groat mutineer
rendezvous at Delhi. There seems to have been little or no real
disaffection in the district or city, and had it not been for these
contaminating influences and the defection of tho Raja of Main*
puri, the head of the great Chauhau tribe, the district would
very probably have remained loyal. Even as it was, the towns-
people of Mainpuri, after their European officers had been driven
from their posts by the military advance of an armed body of
disciplined mutineers, drove off the Jhansi rebels with consider-
able loss when they attacked tho town, and in Shikohabad tho
Ahirs, formerly the most insubordinate subjects of tho Govern-
ment, attacked and defeated the rebel Raja Tej Singh when his
troops came into their pargana. On the 29th May, Major
Hayes, Military Secretary to Sir H. Lawrence, and Captain
Carey of the 17th N. I., joined tlie garrison. The former had*
come by forced marches from Lucknow to be under the orders
of the Lieutenant-Governor, and had under his command threo
or four troops of an Oudh Irregular Regiment, with Captain
Carey, Lieutenant Barbor of the 20th N. I. and Mr. Fayrer, a
volunteer. Major Hayes had intended ordering his force to
Fatehgarh, whither he had proceeded from Gursahaiganj, but
being dissuaded from doing so by Colonel Smith of the 10th
N. 1* and Mr. Probyn, the Magistrate, at the instance of the
troopers of the 10th N. 1., had sent orders to Lieutenant Barbor
to march to Bhongaon on the 30th May and meet him at Euraoli
on the Slst. The troopers arrived at Bhongaon on the SOth, but
their behaviemr was so mutinous that Lieutenant Barbor reported
•them in a letter which was intercepted. On the Slst they broke
170
Murder
oCM^jor
Hftyee.
out iuto open mutiny. In the meanwhile^ news arrived that
they had not marched on the olst, and Major Hayes wrote
to enquire the cause, but received no reply. Late in the
afternoon of the olst, Mansur Ali, the tahsildar of Bhongaou,
arrived with a hesitating and confused report of discontent
among the troopers on acconnt of the long marches they
had made, and a vivid description of the dejected and des-
pondent state of tlie two young officers at Bhougaon. Major
Hayes prepared to go to Bhongaon, but as ho was leaving
several of his troopers arrived. They reported that the force
had halted at Bhongaon as the men were tired, but was then
on its way to Sultanganj, the next oncamping-ground, to halt
there for the night. 'J’hey brought also a letter from Lieutenant
Barbor to Major Hayes. -‘^This letter has always appeared .
a mystery to me writes Mr. Power, it appeared like the '
continuation of a letter previously despatched, and as if the
writer were unable fully to express his meaning. Lieutenant
Barbor stated tliat the men wore than proceeding in an orderly
way to {Sooltauguiigc, and requested Major Hayes not to join
the force till the following morning, the Ist June, Major
Hayes delayed his departure. I despatched Munsoor Ali to
SOoltangunge, which is only five miles from Mynpoory, to
ascertain the state of these troopers. Munsoor Ali returned to
me after au absence of three hours or so. He reported that the
•troopers were quiet and contented, but he brought no letter
from Lieutenant Barbor. 1 afterwards learnt, beyond doubt,
that Munsoor Ali had never proceeded to Sooltangunge, and
that his story was a mere invention. Had he gone there and
made enquiries he would have learnt that the troopers had
forcibly compelled their officers to accompany them ; that a guard
was placed over them ; and that the party sent to Mynpoory
were merely intended to deceive Major Hayes, and decoy him
to Kurowlee.
“Major Hayes and Captain Carey left me early on the let
June to join their force. They found the troopers drawn up on
the plain at Kurowlee to receive them. As they approached
some native officers rode out to wain them off. They saw
their danger and turned to escape, and rode for their livef#^
Hikory,
171
The troopers spread over the plain in pursuit. Major Hayes
was overtaken j and receiving a deep sword cut across the face,
which penetrated to the brain, fell dead from his horse. Captain
Carey, though closely pursued, was enabled to escape, and got
safely back to Mynpoory. About the same time that Major
Hayes was thus killed the troopers murdered also Lieutenant
Harbor and Mr. Fayrer. "rhe bodies of these unfortunate gentle-
men (fearfully mutilated,, wc‘re conveyed to Mynpoory by Lachman
Singh, Talookdar of Kurowlee, and were buried by me in the
churchyard at Mynpoory. I'he murder had unquestionably
been planned at Lucknow, and Kiirowlee selected us a fnvouralde
“spot for the perpetration of it. After the murder tl\e troopers
made off towards Dohli.^* On the 1st June the garrison was
reinforced by seventy troopers of the 1st Gwalior Cavalry under
Major Jiaikes, and some six or eight Sikhs from various dis-
lianded corps, with about ten of th.j IJth N. 1. who had remained
loyal. Messrs. Boodrie and (.’ollins were sent from Agra to
open a telegraph office, and Mr. Lawrence and Sergeant Swan,
who had been hiding from the mutineers, found refuge at the
court-house. Mr. Power then proceeded to raise a body of
mounted police and succeeded in collecting about a hundred
well armed and mounted men, mostly troopers from disbanded
regiments of irregular cavalry. This lbrc,e was placed under
the command of Lieutenant DeKantzow and for a time behaved
very well. In a sharj) action with the 7th Regular Cavalry
near Bhongaon they lost several men but were outnumbered and
driven back, Lieutenant DeKantzow receiving a severe wound on
the head. The rebels then attacked the police station, and though
the thauadar ran away the jamadar and several policemen
defended their post till they were all killed. Shortly afterwards
Sergeant Wills and his wife were wounded by some passing
mutineers at the Nabiganj toll-bar, and the former died soon
after his removal to Mainpuri.
In the early part of June writes Mr. Power, our posi- state of
tion became extremely precarious, as all the surrounding districts
broke out into open rebellion and Mynpoory remained the only
spot in which authority was upheld. We were hourly kept in
anxiety. The worst information reached us from Cawnpor^i
172
UaiKypvi,T% District,
Fatehgarh, Lucknow and Jhansi. The Trunk Road swarmed
^ with mutineers proceeding to Delhi^ whose spies intrigued about
us^ and whose picquets reconnoitred our position at Kutcherry.
The Thanahs, Tehseelees, Schools, Bungalows and Chowkies along
the Etah branch of the Grand Trunk Road were burnt, and all
Mooslafabad was in rebellion, influenced by the state of the
adjoining district of Etah. Every night villages were to be
seen burning in all directions around us, and every hour brought
notice of some heavy affray having occurred, or the commission
of some fearful murder. Wo had lo contend with the treachery
of Raja Tej Singh on his return to Mynpoory. We know that
they held nightly meetings in the Fort at Mynpoory, and plotted
against us and that their emissaries were sent in all directions
to draw some mutineer force to Mynpoory. We momentarily
expected an outbreak in the Jail, and I had constantly to hear
that the police had been overthrown or had grossly misconducted
themselves in different parts of the district. These troubles
hourly increased throughout the month of June. During this
trying time, however, nothing could exceed the cheerful energy
with which each gentleman at Mynpoory and the European
sergeants and clerks laboured to uphold our position. Major
Kaikes and Captain Carey were unremitting in their attention
to their men, and never left them. Dr. Watson had numerous
sick and wounded to attend to, to whom and to ourselves he
showed the utmost consideration and kindness. Lieutenant De
Kautzow did his best to organise the levies under his charge,
and undertook any other work entrusted to him. Mr, J. W. Power
had charge of the Jail and of the treasury, and all the miscella-
neous work belonging to the office. In addition to this work,
all these gentlemen patrolled the station and town in all direc*
tions at night, at uncertain hours. They were always accompanied
by the sergeants or clerks of the office, whose aid in all
matters was of the very greatest advantage to us. The
watchfulness thus evinced, and the constant preparation
to resist attack, enabled us in fact to keep our position. We
>yere also materially assisted by several faithful Zamindara
an d by those native officials who remained at theia
posts.
History*
178
Towards the end of June it became manifest that our The
authority was drawing rapidly to an end. The mounted police
were insolent and disobedient. The telegraph was nightly cut, doned.
The whole district was influenced by the rebellion then raging
on all sides, and all was faithlessness and defection around ns.
On June the 28th people flocked in from Kurhal and informed
us that the Jhansi force had reached that place, and,, on the 29th
June, the advanced guard of this force had reached Mynpoory
itself. The force consisted of the 14th Irregular Cavalry, of the
12th N. I., a large body of other mutinous sepoys, and four or
more guns. It was deemed absurd our facing them, owing to
the state of feeling then existing in Mynpoory. The Jail broke
loose on the morning of the 29fch, and this was effected with the
^aid of Rao Bhawani Singh’s men, the Jail guard and Jail
officials. Nothing could be more disgraceful than their conduct.
The place then swarmed with every description of villains, who
with the Collectory Sowars anti Mounted Levies commenced
plundering our property before our eyes. After consigning
the Government treasure to the joint caro of the Rajah of
Mynpoory and Rao Bhawani Singh, I left Mynpoory in company
with Major Raikes and Captain Carey, the Sergeants who
had joined me, Mr. McGlono, Mr. Collins and Mr. Boodrie.
We were guarded by the troopers of the Gwalior Contingent,
but for whose faithful conduct at ihat time we should not have
escaped with our lives. The other officers not above-named
proceeded to Agra in advance.” The fugitives reached Shikoh-
abad on the morning of the .30th June, and stayed there four
days, Mr. Power being reluctant to abandon his district ;
but urgent orders were received to proceed to Agra, where the
services of Major Raikes’ Gwalior troop were required. At
Firozabad, however, these men, who had hitherto displayed such
unshaken loyalty, quietly mutinied, and without attempting to
harm their officers, marched off to Gwalior. All the Mainpuri
garrison reached Agra in safety except the three clerks, Messrs.
Richards, Li^wrence and Donovan who remained behind to try
and save Aeir property, and were barbarously murdered by the
Jhaimi mutineers who arrived in Mainpuri on the 80tb.
Unis body afsebefe ploadMod and busned all the buni^^ in
174
Mainpuri DiMriet,
the statiou and attempted to sack the town^ but were beaten o£P
with loss by the better disposed among the inhabitants,
The whole district now passed for a time into the hands of
the Raja of Mainpuri. In Shikohabad tlui influence of Prag
Datt, the tahsildai* who hold his charge to the last, kept the
pargapa loyal, though the rebellion was at its height in all the
surrounding districts, and the Ahirs of Rharaul actually defeated
the Raja’s troops. In Kuraoli too Tjaehman Singh, the taluqdar,
long held the police station and harassed the mutineers on their
way through the district l.y ket^ping the roadside villages
deserted so that no supplies could bo obtained. Rao Hhawani
Singh, though unable any longer to control his clansmen who
followed the lead of the acknowledged head of the Chauhans,
succeeded in preserving ‘intact the treasure placed in his charge, >
and when, on October the 10th, the rebels evacuated Mainpuri
before Sir Hope (Irant’s column, he handed it over to the British
general. Grant, however, merely halted for the night at Mainpuri
on lus way to Cawnporo and the district remained in the power
of Raja Tej Singh. He seems to have boon a dissipated and
incapable youth, but wielded a great influence through his
position as chief of tho whole Chauhan clan. His claim to the
Mainpuri Raj had l)eon disputed by his uncle Bhawani Singh and
decided in his favour by the High Court. An appeal against
this decision was pending before the Privy Council when the
Mutiny broke out. Ft might have br'en expected that the official
decision would have kept him loyal and driven Bhawani Singh
to revolt.. But there were other motives at work. The raj had
been shorn of three-fourths of its estates by the settlement of
1840, and though a money compensation had been given, the
wound caused to the honour of the house by the curtailment of
its hereditary dignities still rankled, and, irritated by interested
evil counsellors, finally provoked the Raja into taking arms
against the Government. Bhawani Singh, on tho other hand,^
once his nephew had cast in his lot with the rebels, had nothing <
to lose and everything to gain by siding with the British,' and
did in fact by his steadfast loyalty win both tho title .and tho
estates. At the beginning of the insurrection an old feud between
the Mainpuri Raj and the Farrukhabad Nawab nearly led;iio
open war between the two rebel leaders^ but after their forces had
spent part of July facing one another in Be war the quarrel was
patche^up and thenceforward both parties displayed the utmost
unanimity in their defiance of the British Government. The
Raja offer^ no opposition to Sir Hope Grant’s column on its
march through the district in October, but in December, [gearing
that Brigadier Seaton was coming with a small force from Rtah
to join General Walpole at Mainpuri, he advanced to Kuraoli
with the intention of barring the road. Seaton, however, easily
outmanoeuvred him, and th(^ rebels fled in disorder, losing eight
guns and about a hundred men.
It was after this action that the famous Hodson of Hodson’s
Horse performed one of th * most daring exploits of even liis
adventurous career. Accompanied by his se lond-in-command,
McDowell, and 7o men, he rode across a countryside swarming
with rebels to carry despatches to the Corn raandor- in- Chief.
At Bewar he left all his e.-^cort l)ut 25 men and with them and
McDowell pushed on to Chhibramau, where he learnt that Sir
Colin Campbell was not at Gursahaiganj, as had been believed,
but at Miran ki Sarai, 15 miles further off. Leaving the 25
native troopers at Chhibramau the two officers rode on alone and
reached Sir Colin Campbell’s camp in safety, having ridden 65
miles in ten hours without changing horses. On their return the
same evening they wor.j warned Iry a native to whom Hodson
had given an alms in the morning that after their departure a
party of 2,000 rebels had entered Chhibramau, killed the twenty
five troopers left there, and wore now waiting for Hodson’s
return.* Hodson never hesitated but boldly continued his journey.
When they reached the village he and his companion dismounted
and leading their horses along the soft v'arth at J}he side of the
road passed right through the village unnoticed by the enemy,
whose voices could be distinctly hoard in the houses on either
hand. At Bewar they found a party sent by Seaton, who had
heard of the disaster at Chhibramau, and next day marched to
that place himself , joining forces there with Brigadier Walpole on
the 3rd January and proceeding with him to Fatehgarh.
The district was now reoooupied by the Civil authorities and
though it was not by any means brought under complete control
Adventure
of
Hodson.
176
Mainputfi Di^riot
till late in 1858, no other events of any importanoe took place
within its borders. The rebel Raja of Mainpuri, after a vain
effort to induce the mutineers in Farrukhabad to re-enter and
*
once more raise the Dual)— a scheme which was defeated by
Seaton^s victory at Kankar in April 1868— engaged in another
campaign on his own account. But ha met with little success,
being repulsed from Shikohabad by the loyal Ahirs, and finally
compelled to surrender to Mr. Hume in EtaAvah.
GAZETTEER
Oli’
MAINPURI.
DIRECTORY.
12
GAZETTEER
• OF
MAINPURT.
DIRECTORY.
CONTENTS.
yiau ...
\.kbarpur Aunelift ...
AH pur Patti and Ali Kliera
AUpur Patti pargana
Allahabad... ...
Angantha
Araon
Aung
Aurandh ...
Auren Panraria ...
Barsgiion... ..
Barnahal ...
Barnahal Far g ana
Basalt
Bowar
Bevrar Pargana
Bhadan ...
Bhadana ...
Bhanwat ...
Bharaul ...
Bhongaon
Bhongaon Pargana ...
Bhongaon Tahtil ...
Chhachha ...
Chi tain ... ...
Dihuli
Kka .•• ...
Ghiror ...
OhirOT Pargana
Hatpao ...
Jasrana ...
Jawapur ...
Jot ... ...
Kailai ...
Kankan ...
Karhal ... ...
Karhal Pargana
Karhal Tahiil
KarimganJ
Kanrara Bu^urg
Page, j
Page.
181
Khairgarh
218
181
Kishni ...
...
218
...
182
Kishni-Nabiganj Pargana
218
...
183
Koama
222
185
Kuchela ...
...
222
...
186
Knmhau] ...
•••
222
...
186
Kuraoli ... ...
223
...
186
Kuraoli Pargana
...
224
187
Karra
...
227
187
Kusiari ...
...
227
187
Kusmara
...
227
...
188
Madban ... ...
...
228
...
188
Mahuli Shamsher^nj
...
228
vn
Mainpuri ..
229
191
Miinpuri Civil Station
...
233
...
192
Mato pari Pargana ...
234
...
196
Mainpuri Tahtil
236
19.6
Manchbana
...
238
196
Muhammad par Labhana
238
196
Mustafabad
...
238
196
Mustafabad Pargana and
TaUih
239
198
Nabiganj ...
243
201
Nauner ... ...
244
203
Orawar Hasbt Taraf ...
241
204
Faindhat ... ...
245
204
Parham or Paiiham ...
...
246
205
Pariar .m
...
240
...
206
Patara
247
206
Pharonji ...
247
209
Phaiha or Pharlha
247
209
Pundri ...
...
248
209
Papri
...
248
210
Sahan ... .*■
...
249
210
Sahara ...
250
210
Saman
260
211
Sauj
...
261
212
Sbikohabad ...
...
261
216
Shikobabad Pargana and Tahni\
265
...
216
Siraagan] ..
261
217
Urasar
•••
262
Umida ««« tf*
••0
269
DIRECTORY. [Akbarpar Anneba.
AILAU, Pargana and TahsU Bhongaon,
This village, in 27® IV N. and 79® 10' E., lies six miles south
of Bhongaon, 8 miles east of Mainpuri, immediately south of the
Nagaria distributary which traverses the village lands. In
1901 the population was 2,080, the principal inhabitants being
Thakurs and Brahmans. The village site of mauza Gadaipur is
included in the site, and there are twelve subsidiary hamlets.
The sole proprietor of the village, whi(5h constitutes one mahalf
is the Raja of Mainpuri, who pays Rs. 1,700 land revenue per
annum to Government.
AKBARPUR AUNCHA, Pargana Ghiror, Tahsil Mainpuri.
Akbarpur Auncha was till recently the site of a police station,
founded here, it is said, to stop the depredations of dacoits and
robbers who infested the dhak jungle to the north of tlie site. The
police station has been replaced by an outpost, and the circle
divided among the neighbouring circles. The village lies 16
miles to the west of Mainpuri town in 27® 20' N. and 79® 14'
E. and contains a post-office, a bazar and a vernacular school.
The population in 1901 numbered 2,390, of whom 1,276 were
cultivators, 168 traders, 181 labourers and 71 artisans. The
village covers an area of 4,088*49 acres with eight outlying hamlets
and yields an annual revenue of Rs. 3,340. The old village
mound or hhera lying north and south for half a mile is about
a furlong wide, and contains the present village at its southern
extremity. Prom old remains it seems that an ancient town
existed here. Tradition connects the ruined brick and mud fort
situated on its highest point with the Emperor Akbar, and thus
the name Akbarpur arose. The second half of the name is
probably derived from the elevated (uncha) nature of the site.
Kumerous squared blocks of hvnJcar masonry, either plain or
engraved, have been built into the modern buildings, and old bricks
182
ilainpwri District.
are everywhere plentiful. Old brick-built wells abound, also
remains of stone statuary, many of which latter have been converted
into Hindu shrines, on or near the site. The principal shrine is the
Rikhi Asthan rebuilt by Cbaudhri Jai Chand of Farrukhabad
at the time of the settlement of 1873, on the remains of an ancient
shrine. The present edifice consists of a platform with steps
leading down to a shallow tank, lying close to the dhak jungle, a
few furlongs to the north-east of the town. There is an inscrip-
tion under a piece of statuary in Sanskrit, dated 334 samb it or
A.D. 277, if the sambit is the Bikrama sambat, which is doubtful.
The sculptures are Vaishnavite, representing the incarnations of
Vishnu. The old shrine is still intact, being covered with stone
slabs, and having an entrance to the west which is blocked up.
Chaudhri Jai Chand of Bishangarh in the Farrukhabad district
owned at the time this village and the neighbouring village of
Achalpur. When ho came from Farrukhabad in connection
with the settlement he had a bad finger, to cure which he bad
spent many hundreds of ru|)ce8, and ho made a vow that he
would rebuild the shrine if it were healed. In a few days the
finger became well, and the vow was fulfilled. During the
building the Chaudhri intended to open the old shrine, but was
warned in a dream not to do so, nor to disturb the trees by the
shrine, the tank, or the adjacent jungle. On a previous occasion
he cut down some of the jungle, but ceased when his horses and
elephants died. The succeeding owner, Gaya Parshad, Khattri of
Cawnpore, also made a similar attempt, but desisted when his son
died. His nephew, Gopi Narayan of Cawnpore, is now in pos-
session, and neither he nor any one else has since made any attempt
to open up the shrine. A fair is held at the shrine every year on
Chait Tunni sudi (March). There are two market days in the
week on which trade in grain and tobacco is carried on.
ALIPUR PATTI AND ALI £H£RA, Pargiim Alifua
Patti, Tahsil Bhonqaon.
These two large connected villages lie in 27® 20' N. and 79®
14'£. about nine miles to the north-east of Mainpuri town. In 1901
tlie population of Alipur Patti was 2,116 and that of Ali Khera
2,492. There is a fair market here for hides and blankets, and
Alipw Patti Pwgam, 111
leather buckets are manufactured for irrigation purposes. Ali
Khera contains a post-office and a shop for the sale of liquor
and drugSj and there is a village school at Alipur Patti. A
weekly market is held in the village every Thursday. The
hereditary zcbmindarH of Alipur Patti are l?anadh BrahmanSi
while Ali Khera is owned by a Kaya.3th family of Shamsabad East
ill Parrukhabad. Most of the land is held in occupancy tenure,
and there is a good deal of resumed mmji held by Musalmans,
but the principal cultivating castes are Brahmans, Kachhis,
Chamars and Lodhas. In addition to the two main villages
there are six nagkta or hamlets scattered round it. A partjally
metalled road connects the village with (Jhhachha on the Grand
Trunk Eoad, and thence with Bhongaon, and another but
unmetalled road leads to the Mota railway station.
ALIPUR PATTI ParguncL
Alipur Patti is tho smallest of the four parganas which
make up the Bhongaon tahsil and the smallest in the whole
district. On its north side it is separated by the Kali Nadi
from pargana Aliganj in the Etah district, and on the west,
south and east it is enveloped by pargana Bhongaon. It consisU
of four main tracts: (1) the Kali Nadi taraiy which is of a
fluctuating character, capable of a high degree of fertility in a series
of favourable dry seasons, but liable to saturation after continuous
flooding. It appears to have been highly cultivated and
productive till about 1873, but shortly afterwards much of it
was thrown out of cultivation owing to an excessive rainfall and
inundation. Assessments were reduced and in 1891 the settlomeut
had to be revised on this account. (2) The second tract is
upland varying from sand hills to level plain;. (3) next
comes 8 sandy loam tract ; and (4) south of this a stretch of real
loam with war and underlying clay soils. The bhur tract also
underwent considerable deterioration between 1876 and 1891,
ham grass becoming very prevalent. In a few years over 3,000
acres went out of cultivation from dkis cause, but there has been
a recovery since.
The area of the pargana is only 30*37 square miles or 19,441
acres distrihiited amonir 26 villaues with 62 inaJuxle, of which
1»4
Mainpuri,
one village, AUpiir Patti hhas^ has 24. The total population in
1901 was 10,1 r;o, l)(.iiig 5o8 to llie square mile of area and 860 to
the square jiiilo of cultivation. The cultivated area is 12,318
acres, a decrease of 1,234 acres since the last settlement, the
reasons for which have already been given. Of the rest 493
acres are under groves, 3,343 acres are culturable (fallow and
waste) and 3,287 aen s are incapable of cultivation from one
cause or another. J\o less than 9,105 acres or almost three-
quarters of the cultivated area areirrigalde, tiio new Bewar branch
canal, constructed in 1880, now accounting for 5,494 acres of
this.. Ill ordinary years about 44 per cent, of the cultivated
area is irrigated, a ligui‘o somewhat below the district average.
At the 1873 settlement, however, the irrigable area was recorded as
8,012 acres, so that a good deal of this canal irrigation has merely
replaced a previous well-supply. In the southern half of the
pargana the well-capacity is good and water is found at no great
depth from the surface, liut in the hlmr tract only percolation
wells are possible, and hero the canal is invaluable. The river
is used to a small extent for irrigation, and on the border of its
tarai dhenUi wells arc common. AVhoat, alone or in combina-
tion, forms the chief rabi crop, while the kharif consists
for the most part of ji(,ar with arhar and maize. There has
been some increase in the area undoj* poppy since last settlement,
as also in that under wheat, both being due to the introduction
of the canal. Indigo has nearly disappeared and cotton has
fallen off in area, winlc the practice of double-cropping has in-
creas;:d. The area cultivated by Lodhas, Thakurs and Ahirs
appears to have diminished since the last settlement, Brahmans
now taking the first place; but Tluikurs and Ahirs still cultivate
a fair proportion of the soil at low rents, the rest being mainly
in the hands of Lodlias, Chamars, and Kachhis. There are few
grain rents left, lump rents on mixed holdings being the rule.
Seventy per cent, of the cash rent holdings are held by occu-
pancy tenants and only thirty per cent, by non-occupancy tenants.
The area held as sir and hliudkaslii has decreased sineo the 1873
settlement, but there has been an i?»creasc in that held rent-free.
The Sottlement Officer’s standard rates vary from Rs. 10-8-0 per
acre on irrigated guuhan to 12 auiias on the worst quality of
Allahabad.
186
unirrigated bhiM'y these rates representing the rates of occupancy
tenants of over 20 years standing. The revenue assessed is now
Ks. 21,176 as compared with Rs. 21,890 at the previous settle-
ment and an expiring demand of Rs. 18,141. Ten thousand
five hundred and thirty-four acres, or more than half the cul-
tivated area, arc owned l)y village communities of Thakurs and
Brahmans, and of the rest 7,164 acres are owned in single zamin-
ikiri. The principal proprit iors are the Banias of viduza
Chhachha, th(^ Kayasths of Ali Khera, and the Muhammadans
owning Rajwana and other property. The Brahmans hold
Alipur Patti Jehaa and sliares in other villagiis, and practically
all the remainder is held hy 'Fhakurs. The Birch family, which
at one time held most of tlu; pargana, has now disai)pearcd. The
founder of it was originally an oflicer in Sindhia's 8(;rvicc and a
shrewd man of husiness, who became a successful indigo planter.
But with his death the fortuiu's of the family declined, and the
only traces of it that now survive are a few tomh-stones in Main-
puri and the ruins of a house at Alipur Patti.
There are no towns in the pargana and no good roads.
ALLAHABAD, Pargana and Tafml Bhoxgaon.
This village, named also Ilahalnina, lies in 27° 9' N. and 79°
17' E., eight miles distant from Bhongaoii tn the south-east, and
had, in 1901, a population of 8,024. 1'he area of the village is
2,978 acres and it pays Rs. 4,100 in revenue. There are 19
hamlets. The zamlndar is Nawab Mohdi Ali Khan of Shamsabad,
district Farrukhabad, and most of the cultivators are occupancy
tenants. The inhabitants are, for the most part, Mahajans, Mar-
waris, Brahmans, Kunjras, Faqirs, Chamars, and Kahars, and
though the great majority of them are engaged in agriculture a small
proportion do some business as shopkeepers in the bazar, where
a market is held twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays. The
village contains a school, a post-office, and a shop for the sale of
liquor and drugs, and a little way off to the east there is the
tomb of a Musalman saint of considerable local celebrity to which
both Hindus aud Musalmaus repair after the Thursday market
with prayers and offerings. The tomb is especially frequented
by women on these occasions.
186
Mainpwri JHttriet.
ANGAUTHA, Targami and TahsU Mainpuei.
This large village, in 27® 10' N. and 79® 6' E., lies six miles
south-east of Mainpuri town. The village lands cover a total area
of 4,681*84 acres, of which 1,983 acres are cultivated, nearly one-
fourth of the cultivation being irrigated from the canal. There
are 16 hamlets. The village consists of one mahal belonging to
Mt. Ram Piarl, a Khattri of Cawnpore, and pays Government
revenue to the amount of Rs. 5,600. The populationln 1901 num-
bered 2,616 persons, of whom 15 wore zaviindarSy 1,791 cultiva-
tors, and 222 labourers. There is a vernacular school in the
village.
ARAON, Parg'ina and Takdl Shikohabad.
This village, in 27? 2' N. and 78® 47' E., lies about two miles
from the railway station of the same name on the Shikohabad-
Farrukhabad branch of the East Indian Railway. It is situated
on the Agra road about seven miles from Sirsaganj, eight from
Shikohabadaiid 24 from Mainpuri. The population in 1901 num-
bered 1,430, distributed over four hamlets in addition to the main
site, and the area at survey was 2,680 acres. The site of the vil-
lage is an old khera, to the north of which flows the river Sengar,
crossed by a bridge on the Mainpuri road. The zmxmdars are
Sanadh Brahmans, and the cultivators Lodhas, Abirs, Brahmans
and Chamars. The form of land-tenure is pattidari, and the
seven maJuils of which the village consists are assessed at Rs. 3,240
for purposes of land revenue, A fair in honour of Debi is held
here in the months of Chait and Kuar every year. A village
school and a small bazar are to be found here, and close to the
bazar is an encamping-ground for troops, where lie buried two
soldiers of the 2ud Field Battery, who were drowned in a tank at
Bharaul while shooting there in 1891.
AUNG, Pargana and Tahsil Bhongaok.
This village, in 27® 10' N. and 79® 16' E., is about six miles
to the south-east of Bhongaon. It contains 22 hamlets and a
total population of 3,000. The village covers an area of 3,161
acres, is irrigated by a canal minor and pays Rs. 4,000 in land
revenue. The zemindff/rB are Thakurs and most of their tenai^
187
have occupancy rights. The village is a very old one^ contain-
ing two temples of some antiquity, and an annual fair in honour
of Debi is held in it in the month of Chait It is unconnected by
anything but rough cart tracks with the rest of the district.
AURANDH, Pargana and Tahsll Bhongaon.
This village, in 27® 21' N. and 79' 14' E., lies two miles north
of Sultaoganj and ten from Mainpuri. The population in
1901 was 2,400, spread over the main village and eight subsidiary
hamlets. The prin(;ipal residents are Brahmans and Thakurs.
The village constitutes one 'inahd owned by Thakur Hot Singh
and assessed to Rs. 3,700 land revenue. There is a fairly large
tank to the west of the main site and a village school.
AUREN PANRARIA, Purg%na and Tahail Mainpuri.
This considerable village, in 27® 14' N. and 79® 4' E.,lies on
the Mainpuri-Etawah road two miles to the south of Mainpuri
town. Consisting of nine mahala and eleven hamlets, it covers a
total area of 4,615 acres, of which 1,592 acres are under cultiva-
tion. Nearly all the cultivated area is irrigated from the Nagar-
ia distributary which passes through the village. The zamindarS
are Chauhan Rajputs, and the annual revenue is Rs. 3,207.
In 1901 the inhabitants numbered 2,879, of whom 509 wore
zamindars, 1,598 cultivators and 252 labourers. The village is a
recruiting ground for liajputs of the 8th Bengal Cavalry. There
is a vernacular school in the village.
BARAGAON, Pargfimi and Ta/isii Mustapabad.
This village, in 27® 15' 3" N. and 78® 44' 42" E., distant
23 miles west from Mainpuri and three miles oast of Jasrana, lies
in pargana Mustafabad. It is a principal station of the Great
Trigonometrical Survey, and the lower or ground-mark stone lies
on a mound within the village, a foot below the crest, and is
surmounted by a tower 46 feet 2 inches high and about 14 feet
square at the top, with a hollow core and a gallery at the bottom
for reference to the station-mark, which shows 573*30 feet above the
level of the sea. In 1901 the population, contained in four hamlets
besides the main site, numbered 1,844 souls, of whom 139 were ^
188
Mainpwri Distrwt*
zamindars, 874 cultivators and 230 labourers. The village
consists of four mahaUf covering a total area of 2,575 acres, out of
which 1,212 acres are under cultivation. There is a vernacular
school in the village.
BARNAHAL, Pargana Barnaiial, Tahail Karhal.
This village, in 27® 5' N. and 78® 55' K., is distant 20 miles
south from Mainpiiri and 10 miles west from Karhal. It has a
population of 2,461 souls spread over five hamlets besides the
main site and an area of 1,571 acres and pays a land revenue of
Rs. 3,450. Tlie village is owned by the Raja of Tirwa in Far-
nikhabad (now under the Court of Wards), and most of the
tenants have occupancy rights. Located here are a village post-
office, a halqahandi school and a cattle-pound. Markets are
held every week on Monday and Friday and an annual
fair on the day of the Ram Namii, Barnahal iU)W gives its name
to the old pargana of Bibamau, formerly known as Dehli-Jakhan.
Dehli is a corruption of Dihuli, a village four miles to the south of
Barnahal.
BARNAHAL Pargana,
Pargana Barnahal, oiks of the two pargauas forming the
Karhal tahsil, is bounded on the north by pargana Ghiror ; on
the west by Sliikohabad ; on the south by pargana Eltawah of the
Etawah district j and on the oast by jiargana Karhal. Its area is
91*68 square miles or 58,607 acres, and it contains 107 mauzas.
With the exception of 20 villages situated to the north and north-
east, the whole pargana lies to the south of the Sengar. The villages
to the north of this river assimilate in their soil to the loam of
Gliiror and Karhal, with occasional tracts of nsar, while to the
south of it the soil resembles that found in Shikohabad and
contains much more silica in its composition. The drainage too
is more rapid, jhild are of rarer occurrence and the proportion
of usetr to the total area is smaller. High tracts of sand occur in
belts parallel to the course of the Sengar and near its banks, and
in these the soil is poor and the surface uneven and often broken
up by ravines. The prevailing soil is a light rich yellow loam,
forming a sort of mean lietween pure loam and sand, and uatur-
Barnahal Pa/rgam.
189
ally little inferior to loam, over which it has, indeed, the advant-
age of being comparatively free from usar. The Sengar, though
a fair-sized river containing more or less water throughout the
year, is not of much service to the cultivator. Its tarai is poor
and sandy, its alluvial deposits inf(3rtile, and the depth of its
channel renders it useless for irrigation. The Aganga, which
flows through the southern corner of the pargana and joins the
Sengar in the Etawah district, is little more than a drainage
nalcij drying up immediately after the rains and hence of no
practical importance. Canal irrigation from the Etawah branch
of the Lower Canges Canal rc'aches only the strip of country to
the north of the Sengar, and wells, therefore, mostly unlined are
the main source of the water-sup])ly. The spring is almost
invariably reached even by earthen wells, except in the high sandy
tracts along the Sengar. There has, however, been some deteriora-
tion in this respect latterly owing to the recent (jyolo of dry years.
There is only one really important that at Saj Hajipur —
but there are minor ones at Chandikra, Keshopur, Pairar-Shahpur
and Nitaoli. The cultivated area is 35,895 acres as compared
with 35,428 acres at the previous settlement. Seven thousand two
hundred and forty-eight acres are recorded as culturable (fallow and
waste) and 14,194 acres as incapable of cultivation. The compara-
tive figures at the previous settlement were 5,108 and 16,470,
respectively, the differences being probably due to the more
exact measurements of the recent survey carried out by profes-
sional agency. Groves cover 1,270 acres, an area only 94 acres
less than that which they occupied in 1873. The irrigable area is
31,956 acres as compared with 31,042 acres recorded at the last
settlement. Of this 4,919 acres (north of the Sengar) are irrigated
from the canal, 26,115 acres from wells and 922 from other sources.
The irrigated area in a normal year is well above half the cultivated
area and is over the district average. Of the wells 298 are masonry,
247 half masonry, and 3,761 are earthen wells. The pargana is
practically an earthen well tract. The principal raU crops are
wheat and barley, alone and in combination with gram and
poppy, while the khar if harvest consists for the most part of maize,
cotton, juwr and bajra, the last three being almost invariably grown
in combination with a/rhar. Since the last settlement there haa
Mmrt^n inarm.
iw
been an increase in the donble-croppM area, and also in that under
poppy and garden-crops, maize, cotton mixed with arhar, and
mixed crops generally. Sugar cane has declined, as have also
wheat and bajra.
The principal cultivating castes, in order of importance, are
Ahirs, Brahmans, Thakurs and Kachhis. The occupancy area,
61*76 per cent, of the whole, shows a considerable increase, though
both sir and khudkcisht have fallen off. The average size of occu-
pancy holdings has diminished, though not to the same extent as
that of non- occupancy ones, and the average incidence of non-
occupancy rents has risen 68 par cent, in the last 80 years, being
now Rs. 6*20 per acre, while that of occupancy rents now stands
at Rs. 4*94 per acre, a rise of 16 per cent. Lump rents on
mixed soil holdings prevail.
The present revenue demand is Rs. 93,631, and that of the
previous settlement was Rs. 89,650. There has thus been an in-
crease of 4*44 per cent. The first settlement (1210 — 1212 Fasli)
fixed the demand at Rs. 99,223 ; the second (1213 — 1215 Fasli) at
Rs. 1,00, 1 26 ; the third (1216—1219 Fasli) at Rs. 1,01,825 ; while the
average of live years preceding Mr. Gubbins' settlement in 1839
was Rs. 1,02,756. In the first year of Mr. Gubbins^ settlement
the demand was Rs. 87,457, in the second Rs. 88,430, in the third
Rs. 88,713, and at the expiration of the settlement it had fallen
to Rs. 81,980. Notwithstanding the severity of the demand
during the early settlements the collections were easily realized
up to 1834, when over Rs. 10,000 wore outstanding, while in 1839
considerably over a lakh and a half remained uncollected. From
that year onwards no difficulty was experienced in getting in the
reduced revenue, and in 1871 Mr. McConaghey once more raised
the demand to Rs. 89,310.
This pargana is a purely rural tract with a population of
43,767 in 1901 as compared with 42,593 in 1872. This and the
neighbouring pargana of Karhal were the only ones in the
district which lost no population between 1881 and 1891, though
there was a decline during the next decade. With excellent
surface drainage, and irrigation mainly derived from earthen
wells, it is better adapted tostand wet than dry seasons. Thereaie
1 ^ towns, Bi^rnidii^ itself beiu^ a n^ere villa^, with severi4 4ti^;
Bewar.
191
approached duly by village tracks. The new Shikohabad-Farrukh-
abad railway just touches the extreme north-west corner, and
the only two roads, one from Karhal to Sirsaganj and the other
from Ghiror to Karhal, are both uumetalled. The pargaua is
therefore very badly off for communications. Co-parcenary
communities hold roughly one half the pargaua, but both they
and joint zamindari have been losing since last settlement.
Brahmans hold 26,076 acres, a gain of 4,580 acres since 1873,
and Thakurs, chiefly Chauhan, Bais and Baghol, hold 19,960
acres, having lost G,02l acres during the same period.
Ahirs come next, and after them ^Musalmans, Banias and
Mahajans.
BASAIT, Fargd'm Kishni, Tahail Biiongaon.
This village, in 27® N. and 79® 20' E., lies two miles
south-east of Kishni. Its population in 1901 was 2,686, spread
over the main village and 11 subsidiary hamlets. The main
castes are Brahmans and Kachhis. It is one mahal owned by
the Thakur of Saman as manager of the Ham Chandra temple
and assessed to Us. 4,700 land revenue. A largo and important
jhU which holds water for the greater part of the winter adjoins
the northern edge of the main site. A village bank under the
presidency of the zamindar is located here.
BEWAR, Pargana and TahsU Bbwab.
This village, in 27® 14' N. and 79® 21' E., lies on the Grand
Trunk Road at the point where it is crossed by the Etawah-
Farrukhabad road, 17 miles east of Maiapuri. It has a fair
bazar containing a number of shops for the sale of cloth, grain
and sweetmeats, which do a considerable amount of trade. There
is a police station in the town as well as village schools for both
boys and girls, a canaU bungalow, a military encamping-groand,
a cattle-pound, a post-office, and shops for the sale of country
liquor and drugs. The village comprises six hamlets and three
mahaU covering an area of 2,326 acres and paying land revenue
to the amount of Bs. 1,916. The z(mindoi/r8 are chiefly Brahmans
and Kayasths, and the cultivators, who are of various castes, are
principally occupancy teni^nts. The mMOAe, which is locally
Ma^wri LuMci,
102
pronounced Berwdr^ is said to be derived from the her shrub
which is common in the neigl^bouring jlingles.
BEWAR Pargana.
Pargana Bewar in the Bhongaon tahsil lies south of the Kali
Nadi opposite to pargana Shamsabad in the Farrukhabad dis-
trict* It has pargana Kishni as its boundary on the east, and
pargana Bhongaon on the south and west. Its total area is
27,704 acres or 43*29 square miles, of which 2,890 acres arc non-
culturablc, 903 acres are planted with groves, 6,034 acres are
culturablo (waste or fallow) and 15,877 acres are now under
cultivation. In 1873 only 11,324 acres wore cultivated, and
in 1890-91 when, owing to deterioration, a revision of settlement
was undertaken, th(; cultivated area was only 12,893 acres. In
the settlement report of 1873 this pargana was described as
decidedly the worst in the district. It is situated in the nor-
thern portion of the Kali Nadi and Isan duab, and contains a
large percentage of wretched sandy soil covered with hana grass
and almost entirely devoid of irrigation.** The opening of the
Bewar canal has made an immense difference, but the pargana has
been very susceptible to variations in climatic conditions in the
past, and parts of it may still be looked upon as precarious. The
alluvial belt along the Kali Nadi hero deteriorates into a stretch
of sandy soil, and there is little of the good loam met with beside
that river in other pargauas. In fact real loam is found only
in a small patch in the south-eastern corner. Except for this
and the Kali Nadi tarai the pargana consists of hhur and light
loam, hhivr preponderating. Much of the latter, especially' the
sand hills following the course of the Kali Nadi, is hardly fit
for cultivation. Jhila and tala are rarely met with, the only consi-
derable one being at Paraunkha in the south-east in the loam
tract and two at Nagla Penth and Bajhera. Until 1880 the
facilities for irrigation were scanty, the general character of the
earthen wells being inferior, as in comparatively few of them
can the true spring be reached, while in many the supply from
percolation is so deficient that bullocks cannot be worked with
profit. The subsoil is as a rule so indifferent, and in the worst
sandy tracts is so bad, that even masonry wells cannot be sunk
Bewar FOrgam.
m
with success. However, in 1861-82 the Bewar .branch canal
was opened, and, though closed for a.. few years after the Nadrai
aqueduct disaster in 1885, has since been working regularly and
has effected a groat improvement in the character of the par-
gana, so far as its influence extends. The irrigable area,
which in 1840 was 5,291 acres and 9,775 acres in 1873, now
amounts to 13,142 acres, though the real benefit conferred by the
canal is, of course, very much greater than these figures show.
The actual irrigated area in any ordinary year is 42 per cent, of
the cultivated area, or considerably below the district average.
The figure, however, is a high ono for these provinces. The prin-
cipal rahi crop is wheat, which, either alone or in combination
with ot'.ier crops, occupies half the rahi area, which is now larger
by 50 per cent, than the kharif area. The latter harvest consists
chiefly of maize and juar or hajra with arltar. Since the last
settlement the area under wheat and poppy has increased consi-
derably, and that under maize, cotton, potatoes, tobacco and garden
crops to a less extent, and as elsewhere in the district there is a
tendency towards double-cropping after maize and mixed crops.
In regard to rents the general rule is lump rents on composite
holdings of mixed soils. Privileged rents as such do not pre-
vail. There is, however, a comparatively large area under
grain rents apart from those met with in fluctuating soils. Here
the system, encouraged chiefly by Bais Thakur landholders,
is merely a convenient arrangement for securing to the proprietors
a stock of grain. The occupancy holding area, though less
than in adjoining parganas, is still roughly one-half of the total
holdings area, and represents almost the whole of the tenants’
area. The standard circle rates sanctioned at the recent settlement
varied from Rs. 9*19 in irrigated gauhan to Re. *66 for the
lowest quality of unirrigated bhur.
The first assessment of the pargana as constituted in 1802-03,
when it formed part of the Farrukhabad district, amounted
to Rs. 11,867, which was left unchanged till the third settlement,
when it was raised to Rs. 15,968, eventually rising to Rs. 17,693
before 1836. In that year the demand was raised to Rs. 19,824
including two resumed plots, but was again reduced in
1846-46 to Rs. 14,347, gradually rising to Rs. 16,826 in 1850-61#
19i
. Mainpuri District
Nine villages were then added to it, and the revenue for the whole
pargaua as it now stands was in 1868-69 Rs. 19,807. At the
last settlement the demand was raised to Rs. 24,940, but again
reduced in 1890-91. The revenue now declared is Rs. 26,060.
The principal castes to which cultivators belong are Tha-
kurs, Ahirs, Kachhis, Brahmans, and Chamars. The largest
area is held by Thakurs and Ahirs, the least industrious and
skilful of all farmers, lhakurs hold practically all the air and
their rents in g(;neral are low, mainly owing to relationship to
the proprietors. Ahirs also hold at low rents, but this is because
they are as a rule settled in poor villages.
The present population is 21,943, an increase of 21-64 per cent,
since last settlement, and of 35*94 per cent, between 1891 and 1901.
The density is 510 to* every square mile of total area, and 757
to every square mile of the cultivated area. This increase is
entirely confined to the agricultural portion of the population,
and it illustrates the precarious character of the pargana and the
improvements effected by the canal. There is no town in the
pargana, Bewar khas being the nearest approach to one, with a
population of 4,209 and a fairly large and important bazar.
The railway passes through the north-west corner of the pargana
and a road may some day be constructed from Bewar khas to
Mota Station. The village is otherwise well situated in respect of
communications, lying at the point of intersection of the Etawah-
Farrukhabad and Grand Trunk roads. An unmetalled road
connects the station at Dayanatnagar Mota with Alipur Patti and
the Grand Trunk Road. Except on these two metalled roads
communications are difficult, especially along the sandy Kali
Nadi tract.
The hereditary samindara are the Bais Thakurs, descendants
of those who originally colonized the pargana, and of whom 28
recognizable branches now survive, the two main ones being
those of Saidpur and Rampur. Other important branches are those
owning Bajhera and Chilaunsa. These Thakurs are now for the
most part in possession of minute shares averaging only 12 acres*
The Raja of Tirwa, a Baghela Thakur, holds the large village of
Paraunkha. The property now in the possession of the Kayasths of
l^cwi^r, the descendants of the old Kanungo familieS| is praoticnll^
Bhanwat*
195
restricted to a part of Bewar khas^ The money-lending castes
have not yet secured any great hold of the pargana, but the
Brahmans^ though isolated^ are increasing their possessions.
The only historical interest of the pargana centres in the
village Paraunkha, on account of the adventure there of the
Emperor Akbar, which has been described in Chapter V.
BHADAN, Pargino and TahsU Shikoitabau.
This village, in 26° 6\)' N. and 78° 50' E., lies at a distance
of about two miles from the railway station of the same name
on the East Indian Railway, and some 13 miles from Shikohabad.
It is a pattulari village with, an area of 3,259 acres, 18 hamlets,
and a population of 3,122, and pays lls. 5,200 in land revenue.
The zmiindars are Dhakara Thakurs, and the cultivators Thakurs,
Ahirs and Lodhas. The village includes 18 hamlets and con-
tains a village school and a branch post-office. A market is held
here every Tuesday and Friday and a fair in the month of
GIM during the Hdi festival.
BHADAN A, Pargana and TahsU Must A fab a i>.
This village, in 27° 24' N. and 78° 36' E., lies 38 miles to
the west of Mainpuri and 14 miles north-west of Jasrana. It
covers a total area of 2,563 acres, of which 1,678 acres are cul-
tivated, a little more than one-third of the cultivated area being
irrigated from the canal. There are nine outlying hamlets.
There is one mahal yielding Rs. 4,380 a year in revenue to
Government. In 1901 the population numbered 2,605 souls, of
whom 127 were zamindara, 1,312 cultivators and 224 labourers.
The zaminda/ra are Thakurs and Ahirs. There is a vernacular
school in the village.
BHANWAT, Pargana and Tahail Bhonoaon.
This village, in 27® 9' N. and 79° 7' E., lies some six miles
south of Mainpuri on the unmetalled road to Saman and had,
in 1901, a population of 2,112 persons. The area of the village
is 3,145 acres with 11 hamlets and it pays Rs. 3,500 in land
revenue. The zamindara are chiefly Thakurs, Brahmans and
Ea^asibs, imd the cdtivators consist for tbo most part of
196
Mainpuri Disf/ricU
and Lodhas. The village is situated on a high mound or "khera
with a big jhil to the north-east of it, and contains a large ruined
building formerly the property of an old Thakur family. The
Cawnporo branch of the Lower Ganges Canal passes the southern
comer of this village and there is a canal bungalow close to the
bridge. The village contains a cattle-pound and a shop for the
sale of liquor and drugs.
BHARAUL, Pargana and Tahail Shikohabad.
This village, in 27® 11' N. and 78° 48' E., is situated on the
Agra-Mainpuri road, 10 miles from Shikohabad and 20 miles
from Maiiipuri. It is a paiiMiri* village with five inhabited
sites containing a population, according to the last census, of
2,245 inhabitants. The total area is 2,147 acres and the land
revenue Rs. 3,900. The principal castes are Ahirs, Lodhas.-
Brahmans, Kayasths and Chamars. The village possesses a
school and a post-office, and a market is held in the bazar every
Wednesday and Saturday. It was here that in 1857 the Ahirs
had a desperate fight with the rebel Raja of Mainpuri, in which
Indrajit, the brother of Karan Singh, lost his life. On the
restoration of order proprietary rights in one and a half villages
were conferred upon the family, >vhich now owns several villages.
Its present head is Chaudhri Sarnam Singh, a man of great
infiuence and position.
BHONGAON, Pargana and Tahsil Bhonoaon.
This town, in 27° 17' N. and 79° 14' E., is the headquarters
of the tahsil of the same name and lies at the junction of the Agra
road with the Grand Trunk Road about nine miles to the east of
Mainpuri. The alternative spellings of the name are Bhuingaon
and Bhogaon, the latter being however a misspelling. The
population of the town according to the census of 1901 is 5,582,
of whom 2,915 are males and 2,667 females. Classified according
to religions there are 3,687 Hindus, 1,776 Musalmans and 119
others. The town is a very old one and includes the sites of three
villages— Bhongaon, Mahabatpur and Ahmadpur. The Grand
Trunk Roail passes right through the town, dividing it into two
unequal parts, the larger of whioh is on the' north, while the
Bhongaou.
197
tahsil with its buildings is situated to the south. Shops
line both sides of the road, and with its railway station,
Public Works Department rest house, police station, hospital,
cattle-pound, 8arai, post-office, upper primary school, and
liquor and drugs shops, Bhongaon may fairly bo classified as a
town. Act XX of 1856 is in force and the sanitation is attended
to under its provisions, a good deal having recently been done
by filling up and levelling insanitary hollows and uneven ground.
The town site is long and narrow and somewhat raised above the
level of the surrounding country, especially towards the south
where the surface dips down to form an extensive jliiL The
central road is well kept and clean, and from it turns off the
winding lane which runs through and past the old bazar. The
houses generally are built of mud and the few brick- built ones
that exist are so scattered as to be scarcely noti(!eable. To the
west of the town, near the point where the Grand Trunk and
Agra roads meet, is the aaraij a good sized enclosure with its
mud buildings, little used now that the railway has taken the
place of the Grand Trunk Road. The temple of Mahadeo, built
for Dwarka Das, a SaraogiBania, stands near tho sarai but a little
removed from the road and contains rooms for the freo accom*
modation of poor travellers, who also receive a daily dole of
grain. Between the temple and the tahsil is situated the police
station, facing the tahsil buildings. The 2 )f 6 T’(/o, or halting-
place for carts, is adjacent to the tahsil, and next to it is the
school building cooped up in a small enclosure. Behind the
school the surface slopes down to tho groskijltU, and lo tho east of
it starts the long bazar. A mosque and a small temple with a
a very high steeple crown a mound in the centre of the town close
to the Grand Trunk Road.
The whole town site, where not interfered with by excava-
tions, drains into the jhilf which in its turn, when full to over-
flowing, drains by a TuUa into the Isan Nadi throe miles to the
south of the town. The area of the town lands is 1,370 acres,
assessed at Rs. 2,393 for land revenue. The form of tenure is
the paitidari, Thakurs, Brahmans and Kayasths being the
principal eamituiars. There is no special trade done in the
town, tJiongh a certain amount of business is carried on in
198
Maiii'pwn District,
tobacco and the chief food grains. A small bazar has lately
been established near the temple mentioned above.
BHONGAON Pargana.
Bhongaoni the largest of the four parganas which make up the
tahsil of that name, stretches from the Kali Nadi, which separates
it on the north from pargana Aliganj in the Etah district, along
the whole length of the east of the tahsil to pargana Karhal oh
the south. It is bounded on the north-west by Alipur Patti,
■ on the west by parganas Mainpuri and Kuraoli, and by pargana
Kishni on the east.
Its physical features are varied, and it has been described
as *^made up of stray pieces of the adjacent parganas, the
meeting-place of all surrounding varieties of soils . . .
Every class of soil, every quality of cultivation, every caste of
cultivator, every kind of tenure and all the varieties of irriga-
tion arc found within it.’’ The pargana is drained by the Kali
Nadi on the north, tho Isan in the centre and the A rind in the
south. Along the Kali Nadi there is an alluvial belt, which
rapidly gives way to a sandy soil. Midway between the Kali
and Isan there is a considerable wedge of loam, which, as it
approaches the Isan and gets within the influence of its drainage
action, deteriorates into saud. Sand ridges are found on both
sides of the river, and beyond these to the south there is the great
loam tract.
The Kali Nadi tract consists of lowlying lands rising
abruptly into sandy ridgos, with occasional strips of loam inter-
vening. In 1873 this tract seems to have been in a high state
of fertility, but it subsequently suffered from heavy rains and
floods, and in 1877 the Settlement Officer revised his assess-
ment, reducing it by Rs. 6,850 for five years. There was how-
ever no improvement, and in 1885 the whole region was devas-
tated by the great flood from the broken Nadrai aqueduct,
which led to another revision in 1891-92. Since then there has ^
been a slow recovery, assisted by a cycle of dry years, but in
several villages the damage seems to be permanent. The bhw*
tract was remarkable in this as in other parganas of the tahsil
for the prevalence of kans grass during the eighties, and the
Bhosgaon Pargana. 199
outbreak was aggravated by the heavy rainfall at the end of the
period. The revision of 1891-92 afforded relief here also, and
there has been considerable improvement since. No villages
are now seriously affected, but the tract must be considered
precarious. The principal j/iUs are at Airwa, Asauli, Kinaiwar,
Bhanwat, Eui, Bilon, Aurandh, Maiichhana, Chitaiu, Dalippur
Naraini, Pundri and Patna Tilua.
The total area of theparganais 174,683 acres, of which 06,346
acres (as compared with 98,382 at the last settlomeiit) were cul-
tivated in the year of record. Of the cultivated area 77,984
acres were reckoned as irrigable (as against 67,557 at the pre-
vious settlement), 39,902 from canals, 26,221 from wells, and
11,861 from other sources. At the last settlement the canal
only commanded 14,876 acres, while wells accounted for 38,054.
As a rule only a little more than half the cultivated area is
irrigated in the year, or about the same percentage as for the
whole district. The culturable area (waste and fallow) at the
recent settlement was 25,856 acres, 4,000 acres in excess
of the previous estimate j 4,069 acres were under groves and
48,405 acres were found to be incapable of cultivation. At the
last settlement cultivation was found to have increased by 29 per
cent, since 1840, and irrigation by 44 per cent.
The increase in irrigation is almost entirely confined to the
bhur tract, and is due to the opening of the new Bewar Canal.
Distributaries of the Cawnpore branch of the Lower Ganges
Canal also serve the pargana, but their rearrangement has
caused a deficiency in places. Masonry wells have increased
from 908 to 1,008 during the last thirty years, and though the
area irrigated from wells has slightly fallen off in the period, the
loss has been more than made up by the large increase in
canal irrigation. There has been a slight rise in the number of
ploughs and plough-cattle, though other cattle have decreased in
number, probably owing to the substitution of canal for well
irrigation.
In the rabi season the principal crops are wheat, barley and
gram, both alone and in combination, while rice, hajra,
maize, cotton and sugarcane occupy a large area in the hho/rif,
A detailed table is given in the appendix. Since the last settlement
200
Mainpuri Disti^iot*
there has been a decrease in the cultivation of cotton and
sugarcano and a remarkable rise in wheat, poppy, garden crops
and maize, and the dofadi area has increased by 305 per cent.
Rents have risen considerably : occupancy rents by 23*69 and
non^ccupancy rents by 67*08 per cent., mainly on account of
the extension of canal irrigation. Grain rents are seldom met
with except in uncertain tracts, the usual arrangement being to
pay lump rents on holdings of mixed soils, with considerable
variations for the different kinds. The new rates have a greater
range than those fixed at the last settlement, varying from
Rs. 12-7-6 for the best quality of irrigated gaukan to Rs. 3-4-6
on the lowest class of the same soil when unirrigated, while the
rates for bhur vary from Rs, 5-10-6 for the best to 12 annas for
tlie poorest, with many intermediate rates. The revenue demand
is now Rs. 1,89,339, or 5*10 per cent, in excess of that declared
at the last settlement, with an incidence of Rs. 1*96 per cultivated
acre. There are 237 villages, the same number as at the last
settlement, though the number of inhabited sites has risen from
665 to 798. Of the 407 rmhalSy 126 are held in single zamindari
tenure, 117 in joint zamindari, 43 in perfect pattidaH and
116 in imperfect pattidari, and 6 in ^/iai^/ac/iara, each proprietor
holding on the average 29 acres only, as compared with 62 at
the former settlement. The chief proprietors are communities,
mostly of Chauhan Thakurs, who still hold 101,564 acres of the
total area. Both they and the Ahir communities have lost
ground considerably since the last settlement, though the greatest
losers have been the Kayasths, the descendants of the Kanungos
who acquired extensive possessions in this pargana under native
rule. Brahmans have increased their holdings by 7,661 acres
and now possess a quarter of the pargana ; Musalmans, who,
thirty years ago owned only 733 acres, have now over ten times
as much, and the money-lending classes have secured a firm
footing, particularly the Mahajans, who in 1873 were not to be
found in the list of proprietors and are now in possession of 4,293
acres. Of individual proprietors the largest is the ^Raja of
Mainpuri, who also receives malikana from 81 villages.
Among the cultivating classes Thakurs and Ahirs greatly pre-
ponderate both as tenants and in respect of the sir and khvdhosU
fihongaon TaJait.
m
areas^ while their rents are the lowest, but there is a strong leaven
of Xachhis, Brahmans and Chamars.
In 1901 the population of the pargana was 131, 135^ an
increase of 12’2 per cent, since 1891, but of only 10*27 since
1872, owing to a very considerable decrease during the eighties
caused by the serious deterioration of the hhwr tract. The
density is now 488 to the square mile of total area, and 849 per
square mile of cultivation. There are no towns except qasha Bhon<
gaon, with 5,582 inhabitants, and the tract is solely agricultural.
There are not many roads in the pargana. Qaahci Bhongaon
lies on the Grand Trunk Road from Allahabad to Delhi, which
connects it with Bewar and Farrukhabad to the east and with
Kuraoli and the Etah district to the west. There is a metalled
road, the Agra branch of the Grand Trunk Road, connecting the
town with Mainpuri city, and the metalled Etawah-Fatehgarh
road runs through the eastern corner of the pargana between
Kishni and Bewar. The principal unmetalled road runs from
Mainpuri through the ^outh-west of the pargana to Saman and
Kishni, but the interior of the pargana is for the most part only
served by village tracks of various degrees of difficulty for
wheeled traffic. The only bridge over the Isan is at Kusmara
in the south-east, and the long stretch of the river from this
point to the next bridge at Mainpuri is mostly impassable in
the rains and difficult to cross at other times. The new Shikoh-
abad-Farrukhabad railway now runs through a portion of the
pargana, from Mainpuri to near qmha Bhongaon and onwards
to the Kali Nadi.
Bhongaon was a pargana in the time of Akbar, but has
undergone considerable changes since then. In the eighteenth
century Kishni-Nabiganj was separated from it, and at the
settlement of 1840 four of its villages were transferred to Bewar
and fifteen to Mainpuri, while 113 villages belonging to ixthbqa
Manchhana, which itself originally formed a part of Bhongaon,
were added to the pargana.
BHONGAON TahsU.
Bhongaon tahsil, comprising the parganas of Bhongaon,
Alipur Patti, Bewar and Kishni-Nabiganj, is the largest tahril
JUainpuri DisHct.
in the district. Its area, according to the recent survey^ is 458*64
square miles, or 293,534 acres, of which 184,281 acres are
cultivated. The Kali Nadi separates it on the north from
parganas Aliganj of the fStah district and Shamsabad of
Farrukhabad; on the east are parganas Sakrawa, Saurikh and
Chhibramau in Farrukhabad ; south of it lie the Bhartanau
pargana of Etawah, and pargana Karhal, while parganas Main-
puri and Kuraoii form its western boundary. It thus occupies
the whole of the eastern portion of the Mainpuri district. Three
rivers, the Kali Nadi, Isan and Arind, drain the tahsil, and its
physical features are controlled by them. To the east the Kali
and Isan are close together and the hhur soils which characterize
the watershed of each merge into one another. Further west, how-
ever, a little to the south-east of the town of Bhongaon, the Isau
takes a decided sweep southwards, and the wide watershed, escap>
ing the scouring influences of the drainage, expands into a
stretch of dimat soil. South of the Isan the tahsil lies within
the southern loam tract, and it is here that most of the large
natural reservoirs are found, though jkds and lakes of fair size
exist in other parts of the tahsil.
The tahsil forms a subdivision over which a full-powered
officer of the headquarters staff holds criminal and revenue juris-
diction, and there is aict/isiitto with magisterial powers stationed
at Bhongaon. Kunwar Bhagwan Singh of Saman exercises
honorary magisterial powers within the Kishni police circle ; civil
jurisdiction is exercised by the munsif at Mainpuri. There are
police stations in Bhongaon, Bowar and Kishni, and part of the
tahsil also falls within the Kurra, Mainpuri and Kuraoii police
circles.
The cultivated area is now 184,281 acres, a decrease of 6,632
acres since the last settlement, but confined to the hlmr tract.
Though the area irrigated from wells has decreased by 26,674
acres, there is a net increase in irrigation, due to the canals, of
28,748 acres.
The census returns for 1901 show that the population was
then 226,940, an increase of over thirty thousand since 1891.
.Of this total 123,246 were males. As in all other tahsils, Hindus
enormously preponderated over Musalmans, there being 216,263
OhhEolilift*
oi the former to 9J30 of the latter. The most numeroTxs of the
castes composing this majority was that of the Chamars with
30^055 members, and next to them came Kachhis with 25,398,
while close behind were Ahirs with 24,464. Brahmans and Rajputs
follow with almost identical numbers, the former having 18,320
representatives and the latter only 20 loss. Other important
castes are Lodhas, 14,011 ; Kahars, 10,671 ; Gadariyas, 7,962;
Koris, 7,563 ; and Baiiias, 6,821. The tahsil is a purely agricul-
tural tract, with but one town, qaaha Bhongaon, administered
under Act XX, containing a population of 5,562, a large propor-
tion of which is non-agricultural and stimulates a considerable
production of vegetables and garden produce in its suburbs, A
good deal of tobacco is also grown in its vicinity for export. It
has a small bazar, but there is scarcely any trade and the town
is a very poor one. There are fairly large bazars at Bewar, Kus-
mara and Alipur Patti, but they are of only local importance.
Means of communication are still backward over a great
part of the tahsil. The only bridge over the Isan is at Kusmara,
on the Etawah-Farrukhabad road, so that in the rains the tract
to the south of that river is practically cut off from communica-
tion with the rest except at the cost of either long detours or a
very considerable amount of difficulty and risk. The now
railway from Shikohabad to Farrukhabad with stations at
Bhongaon and Mota will no doubt help to open out and develop
the tahsil, but now roads will be required, and it will scarcely
touch the southern portion of the tahsil. At present the Grand
Tioink Road runs through the northern portion from west to
east, skirting the south of Alipur Patti and connecting the towns
of Bhongaon and Bewar with each other and with the districts
of Etah and Farrukhabad. There is a metalled road from qaeha
Bhongaon to Mainpuri, while through Bewar runs another
metalled highway from Etawah to Farrukhabad. The other
road are merely village tracks of varying degrees of difficulty.
CHHACHHA, Pargam Alipue Patti, Tahsil Bhongaok.
This large village, in 27® 19' N. and 79® 11' E,, is
three miles north-west of Bhongaon and eight miles north-
east of Mainpuri, and had in 1901 a population of 2^804*.
<204
Modnjmri District*
The area is 4,019 acres and the land revenue is Rs. 4,250. The
village includes ten separate sites inhabited chiefly by Lodhas,
Chamars, Kachhis and Ahirs, with a sprinkling of Kayasths and
Brahmans, the descendants of the former zamindars. The
cultivators are mostly occupancy tenants. There is a village
school in this mauza. A partially metalled road connects the
village with Alipur Patti, and thence an unmetalled road runs
to Mota on the railway.
CHITAIN, Pargana and TcthsU Bhongaon.
This village, in 27® 4' N. and 79® 13' E., is situated two
miles north>east of Saman on the Mainpuri-Saman unmetalled
road. Its population in 1901 was 2,170, the principal castes being
Brahmans, Thakurs, Eachliis and Chamars. There are nine subsi-
diary hamlets. The village constitutes one mahal owned jointly
by the Raja of Mainpuri, Badri Parshad and Pitam Singh, and
is assessed to Rs. 3,000 land revenue. There are two jhila to
the north and south, and a tank to the north of the site.
DIHULI, Pargana Barnaital, TahsU Karhal.
This village, in 27® 2' N. and 78® 53' E,, is situated on the
Sirsaganj-Karhal unmetalled road, at a distance of eight and nine
miles respectively from each, and 28 miles from Mainpuri. Its
population in 1901 was only 362, the principal castes being
Banias, Brahmans, Thakurs and Musalmans. The village com-
prises throe mahalu owned by Rani Baisni Madho Kunwar, Kun war
Jagannath Singh and Babu Ram of Karhal, and is assessed to
Rs. 1,160 land revenue. A market is held twice a week on
Saturdays and Tuesdays. There are a village school and three
temples within the site, and two tern pies, lie outside the village.
The site is an ancient one, and a stone bearing a comparatively
modern inscription was lately unearthed and removed to Main-
puri. Relatively to its size the village is unimportant, but it
was once the headquarters of the old tappa of the same name,
connected with that of Jakhan in Etawah, under the combined
name of pargana Dehli-Jakhan or Bibamau, which was subse-
quently distributed between pargana Barnahal and the present
pargana of Bibamau in Etawah. It was formerly owned by Ahirs*
Gbiror Pargana,
205
EKA, Pargana and Taheil Mttstafabad.
This large village, in 27° 24' N. and 78° 40' E., is distant
about 34 miles from Mainpuri and 22 miles from Shikohabad.
Its population in 1901 numibered 6,269 souls, of whom 60 were
3,754 cultivators, 218 traders, 81 artisans and 457
labourers. It contains 32 hamlets and an area of 8,364 acres, and
yields Rs. 12,400 as Government revenue. It contains, besides a
small bazar, a first class police station, a post-office and a verna-
cular school. The Arind Hows close by the village on its north
side, and near it is the mud fort of the zamindar of the place,
who is a hereditary Raja, and whoso family is a branch of
the Partabnair stock of Chauhan Rajputs. Nearly three-quarters
of the cultivated land (4,072 acres) of the village is irrigated from
the canal.
GHIROR, Pargana Giiikob, TakaU Mainpuri.
Ghiror, the chief village of the pargana of the same name,
lies on the Agra branch of the Grand Trunk Road, in 27° 12' N.
and 78° 51' E., 16 miles distant from Mainpuri and 14 miles
from Shikohabad. Its population in 1901 numbered 2,631 souls, of
whom 1,003 were cultivators, 247 traders and 449 labourers. It
contains an area of 1,902 acres and nine hamlets, and yields
Rs. 2,650 annually as Government revenue. The village consists
of one makaly in which 17 J shares out of 20 are held in zamindar i
tenure by tho Raja of Mainpuri and the rest by Kanungoi
Kayasths. It was formerly the site of a tahsil, and now contains a
first class police station, located in the old tahsil, a post-office, a
cattle pound, a vernacular school and a bazar, while a market is
held twice a week at which some business is done in cloth, grain
and cattle Metalled roads connect tljc village with Jasrana,
Shikohabad, Mainpuri and Kosma railway station, and an un-
metalled but bridged road with Kuraoli. About five miles to the
east is the Kosma station of the Shikohabad-Farmkhabad Railway.
GHIROR Pargana,
Pargana Ghiror, in the south-west of the Mainpuri tahsil, is
the second largest of the three parganas of which that tahsil is
composed. It is bounded on the north by pargana Sakit in Eteh
200
Mainpuri District
and pargana Kiiraoli ; on the west l>y pargaua Mustafabad ; ou
the south by parganas Shikohabad and Barnahal; and on the
east by pargana Mainpuri. The total area is 94^653 acres or
147*90 square miles.
The pargana lies entirely in the central ctumat tract. The
surface is level except where subject to the action of the rivers
Isan and A rind, the latter of which flows in a winding course
through the centre of the pargana with a rich and clayey tarai,
while the former traverses the northern portion but has here no
sand on its banks and no of any value. The Sengar flows
through two villages in the south-east corner of the pargana,
exercising no perceptible influence. The Cawnpore and Etawah
branches of the Lower Ganges Canal run along the watershed of
these rivers, and though dTainage cuts have been made to relieve
waterlogged areas more might be done in parts of Kosma, Bidhiina,
Gangsi, Nasirpur, Pachawar and Nagla Punnu, where water
accumulates. The principal J/dls are at Pachawar, Ghiror,
Nagla Punnu, Faizpur, Bidhuna, Bigrai, Karaoli and Gangsi.
The cultivated area is 39,729 acres as compared with 43,533
at the previous settlement. There would appear, however, to be
some room for doubt whether there has been any real loss, as the
area at the last settlement would seem to have included tracts of
fallow and uncultivated land omitted in the figures of the present
settlement. The culturable area (fallow and waste) is 13,290
acres as against 12,415 recorded at the last settlement, and the
area under groves is 935 acres, an increase of 258 acres since 1873.
Thirty -seven thousand eight hundred and eighty-six acres are
shown as irrigable as against 40,192 recorded at the previous
settlement, but here again it is very doubtful whether the figures
are not misleading. Canal irrigation, has certainly increased, but
there has been a falling off in the area watered from wells.
This is due in pare to the substitution of canal water, but also to
the fact that, owing to a general rise in the spring level in tho
vicinity of irrigation channels, the construction of earthen wells
has become more difficult. The actual irrigated area in any
ordinary year is about 63 per cent, of the cultivated area, a
figure well above the district average and second only to that of
pargana Karhal. . The principal crops are, in the rabi wheat an4
Ohiror Farg'ina.
207
barley^ both alone and in combination, and poppy ; and in the
kliarify jua/r and bajra, rice, maize and cotton. The area under
poppy, maize, cotton, potatoes and tobacco, the most valuable crops,
shows a large increase, though both indigo and sugarcane have
declined. The double-cropped area has considerably increased
since the last settlement. Three crops a year are commonly
grown in the usually maize for the klutr ify bejliaror some
other winter crop for the rahij and melons or tobacco as a zaid
crop. The crops sown on the dofasli land are wheat, hejhar or
tobacco after maize, or, in some soils, peas after cotton.
The principal castes of cultivators are Ahirs and Thakurs,
who, with the exception of the Kayasths, pay the lowest rents.
Next come the Brahmans, Kachhis and Charaars. Thakurs, Ahirs,
and Brahmans hold the largest area of sir. The average size of
occupancy holdings is about 4*65 acres, and of non-occupancy
holdings 1*85 acre. The total occupancy area has slightly
increased since the last settlement and the rental has risen from
lls. 4*40 to Ks. 4*78 per acre. The non-occupancy rental, on the
other hand, has risen from Es. 4*31 to Rs. 6*19 per acre, an"
increase of nearly 44 per cent. The rent rates fixed at this
settlement vary from Rs. 11-2-0 iorgmJtan to Re. 1-6-6 formaiyar.
The sanctioned demand at the present settlement is Rs.1,01,295.
A little more than half the pargana is still held by co-parcenary
communities, while single zamindari occupies about a fifth and
joint zammdari about a quarter of the area. The tenure of the
communities is still mainly imperfect •pattidari^ but that held in
perfect pattidari is tending to expand. Some 3,000 acres are
held in bhaiyachara tenure. The number of proprietors has
increased 50 per cent., and that of the mahals has doubled since
last settlement. The average area held by each proprietor is now
51 acres instead of the 78 acres of 30 years ago; but it is still
rather more than in most other parganas of the district. Thakurs
and Brahmanu are still the largest owners, but both have recently
been losing ground considerably. The chief Khatiris and Banias
who have replaced them are the two Cawnpore partners, Babu
Bans! Dhar (Bania) and Babu Go^i Narain (Khattri), who have
jointly acquired villages of the Auncha tahiqa from
Ifbnkrupt estate of the Bridimim Chaudbri of Bishangarh in
20S
Mainpuri District,
Farrakhabad district. Other considerable estates in the pargana
are those of the Raja of Mainpuri, who owns the bulk of Ghiror
kfuis and the whole of Bamhrauli; the Raja of Awa, who holds
shares in two villages ; Eunwar Ulfat Singh and his aunt, raises
of Awa, who own nine entire villages ; Thakur Suraj Bakhsh
Singh of Badshahpur and Thakur Bhagwan Singh of Ealhor, each
of whom holds shares in five villages ; the present Registrar
Eanungo of Mainpuri and his Eayasth relatives resident in
Ghiror, who own ancestral shares in six villages ; the Chauhan
Thakurs, Ehanjan Singh and others of Mainpuri ; and Chaudhri
Talc Singh and Debi Singh of Bharaul, the leading Ahir proprie-
tors in this pargana. The Ahirs of Chitain and Milaoli, the
Muhammadans of Eosma and the Eayasths of Auncha and
Ghiror have added considerably to their possessions since the
last settlement. Among the traders and speculators in land who
have been ousting the hereditary landowners, the most prominent
are the Mathuria Brahmans, Radha Mohan and Deo Eishan of
Mainpuri ; the Banias, Raja Ram and Ganga Ram of Euraoli,
*and the late Thakur Tukman Singh of Tindaoli in pargana
Mainpuri, who had purchased considerable landed property of
recent years in this district.
The population of the pargana is almost exactly the same as
it was 30 years ago. In 1881 it had risen to 62,837, but ten years
later it dropped to 57,871 and in 1901 it was 59,613, or only 152
more than in 1872. The decrease in the eighties was general
throughout the district and has already been explained. The tract
is a rural one, devoted to agriculture, and Ghiror, the headquarters
of the pargana, though it has a certain amount of trade and is an
important cattle mart, is nothing more than a village. Other
important villages and market places are Auncha, Eosma, Darbah
and Euchela. The Agra branch of the Grand Trunk Road was
till lately the only metalled road, but the Jasrana-Ghiror-Eosma
road has been recently construbted. Two unmetalled roads
connect Ghiror with Euraoli and Earhal and there are several
smaller unmctalled roads connecting the bridges on the Cawnpore
and Etawah canals. The ne^hikohabad-Farrukhabad Railway
traverses the east of the pargana almost parallel to and about
three or four miles east of the Agra road.
lIHlYlipaX’.
6\JV
HATPAO, Pargana and Tahail Bhongaon.
This village, ia27® 19' N. and 79® 12' E.,lies uino miles to the
east of Mainpuri and a little to the south of the Nagaria distrihu-
tary. The population in 1901 was 2,259, the main caste being
Thakurs. There are no loss than 20 subsidiary hamlets, Tlie
village is divided into 21 mamals, assessed in all at Es 8,130
land revenue. Ah old fort by the side of a jhil stands on an old
abandoned and elevated site that forms a considerable land-mark
in the neighbourhood.
JASRANA, Pargana and Tahml Mustafabad.
This largo village, now the headquarters of the Mustafal)ad
tahsil, lii.s on the high road from Shikohahad to Etah, about
12 miles from the former and about 25 miles to the west of
Mainpuri, in 27® 14' N. and 78® 42' E. It is connected with
Mustafabad and Kosma vid Ghiror by a metalled road. It carries
on an active local trade and a manufacture of iron articles and
glass bangles. The population in 190^ was 4,218 made up of 121
zaniindars, 1,539 cultivators, 159 traders, and 1,174 labourers.
There are 11 hamlets. The village possesses a police station,
a hospital, a post-office, a bazar, a school and an inspection bunga-
low, while a market is held twice a week at which the chief
articles of trade are ghi and grain. An annual fair is hold here
in the month of Ghait The area of the village is 2,722 acres, of
which 1,601 acres arc cultivated, and the revenue demand is
Rs. 4,660. The Sengar river running to the south in wet seasons
floods the tahsil and hospital buildings. The importance of the
village has been greatly increased by the removal of the tahsil to
it a few years ago, and it is now administered under Act II of
1892. ‘
•JAWAPUR, Pargana Ghiror, Tahsil Mainpuri.
This village, in 27® 10' N. and 78® 56' E., lies some 10 miles
to the south-west of Mainpuri on the uumetallcd road to Sirsaganj.
Its population in 1901 was 2,116, comprising 86 zamindms,
Rud 1,326 cultivators. There are 17 hamlets. There is a
vernacular school in the village. One thousand four hundred and
three acres out of the total area of 3|237 are cultivated; and
14
210
Mainpfu/n District
about one-fourth of this is irrigckted from the canal.
ThakurS; Ahirs and Banias are the zemindars and the village
consists of one mahal assessed at Hs. ' About three
miles to the south-west is the Kosma station of the Shikohabad-
Farrukhabad Railway. The village lies north of and dose to
the Etawah Canal^ over which there is a bridge.
JOT, Rtrg'ina Kishxi, Tdhsil Bhongaon.
This village, in 27® 8' N. and 79® 25' E., is situated four miles
south of Nabiganj and 15 miles east of Bhongaon, and lies on
the Farrukhabad border. Its population in 1 901 was 2,069, spread
over the main site and its 12 subsidiary hamlets, the principal
castes being Thakurs, Kachhis, and Brahmans. It constitutes
one pattidari mahal assessed at Rs. 2,730 land revenue. There
is &jhil to the north.
KAILAI, Pargana and TahsU Mustafabad.
This village, in 27® 25' N. and 78® 43' E., lies in the ex-
treme north of the Mustafabad tahsil on the Etah border, 28
miles west of Mainpuri and 12 miles north from Jasrana, south of
the Cavvnpore canal, where there is a bridge. Consisting of one
Tiiahal assessed at Rs. 5,150, it covers a total area of 2,800 acres,
of which 1,767 are under cultivation, nearly three-quarters of the
cultivated area being irrigated from the Cawnpore branch of the
Lower Gauges Canal. There are 17 hamlets. The zamiiidars i
are Thakurs, Mahajans, Marwaris and Brahmans. The population
in 1901 numbered 3,133 persons, of whom 247 were zamindars,
1,433 cultivators and 247 labourers. Kailai contains a vernacular
school and is chiefly noted for the manufacture of scissors,
knives and betel-nut cutters. The village site partly covers
an old hhera on which remains of stone images are to be
found.
KANKAN, Pargana and TahzU Mainpuri.
This village, in 27® 8' N. and 79® 2' E., lies a little to tha^
east of the Etawah road, about seven miles south of MainpurL It
is situated in part on a very high mound which catches the aye
t^ traveller a great way off, and eputaius a lar^etaak i|.
KarilftL
^11
UBed for irrigation. There is a vernacular school in the village^
and in Daulatpur, one of the five hamlets of which it is composed^
two fairs are held every year in honour of Shiva and Kama.
The, population in 1901 numbered 2,337 persons, of whom 589
were zamindara and 983 cultivators. The village consists of
one mahal and covers an area of 3,395 acres, of which 1,251
acres are cultivated, a little more than half the cultivated area
being irrigated from the canal.
KARHAL, Pargana and TahsU Karhal.
This town, the headquarters of the pargana and tahsil of
the same name, lies in 27® N. and 79® K, on the Mainpuri-
Etawah road, 17 miles south of Mainpuri and 16 miles
^north-east of the Etawah railway station. The population in
1901 numbered 6,268 persons, of whom 1,782 were Musalmans
and 4,026 Hindus, mainly Brahmans, Kachhis, and Banjaras,
while 460 belonged to other religions. The town is approached by
the Ghiror, Sirsaganj and Kishni unmetalled road ; the metalled
road from Mainpuri to Etawah skirts the town on the east and the
principal street winds off from it at right angles to form the bazar.
The shops and houses are generally poor, but at the back of the
bazar some of the private dwellings of the merchants, who are
chiefly Saraogi Banias, are substantial brick-built houses and
their spired temples are visible from a great distance. The
principal buildings are the tahsil, police station, school, girls’
school, dispensary, cattle-pound and aarai, the last named being
an enclosure with two gateways, containing a mosque and a well.
There is also an indigenous Sanskrit school of the Jains. The
town contains altogether 1,405 houses and is administered under
Act XX of 1856. A brisk local trade is carried on in ghi and
cotton, and both saltpetre and glass are manufactured here. The
village consists of five maliala^ of which four belong to Karhal
hhiB while the fifth is made up of resumed lands. The land-
revenue assessed on Karhal Ickaa is Rs. 4,400, the other mahal
paying Bs. 695 for the first five years, Rs. 775 for the second five
years and Bs. 850 for the remaining period of the current settle-
ment. HiJf of the zamindari of Karhcd has now been transferred
^ Bani Kishori of Lakhna, in the Etawah disMct. A market
212
iloA/a'pwti
is held in the town every Sunday and Thursday and there are foui
annual fairs : the Dehi Mda^ the Jaini Mda^ the Ram Lila, , and
the Jagdhar Mda,
The local traditions arc numerous and are connected with
the names of the mohallaa. These are the Qazi MoluaHa, so called
from the old house of a former Qazi ; the Khera, or the old town ;
the Laddaian, from the trade of the Brahmans living in it ; the
Bhutela, from the name of the clan of Brahmans living in it ;
the Mualliman, from a celebrated family of teachers who have
the lo(;al reputation of having invented tlie shikasta or runuing
hand mode of writing the Persian character ; the Birtia, from
that clan of Brahman's ; the Khakrob, or sweepers’ quarter ; and the
Singhi, from the division of Banias of that name. Tradition asserts
the site to have originally belonged to a Gaur Thakur who lived in
Simrau. He was dispossessed by the Miisalmans, who after
some time conferred the proprietary rights in Simrau and 69
other villages on a family of Laharia Brahmans who had been the
servants of the Gaur llaja. These Brahmans founded Karhal,
the site of which was covered with kirahla jungle, used by the
Hanjaras for grazing their cattle. These Banjaras had built a
tine well here, which is still known as the Banjarawala hmn,
A good deal of the pargana is still in the hands of Laharia
Brahmans.
KAllHAL Pargana,
This pargana, which with pargana Barnahal makes up the
Karhal tahsil, is bounded on the north by pargana Mainpuri, on
the west by pargana Barnahal, on the south by pargana Etawah and
on the east by pargauas Bhongaon and Kish ni. Its area is 81,013
acres or 1 26*6 square miles, and it contains 86 mauzaa and 380
makala. It lies between the A rind and the Sengar, and though
it contains no streams of any importance, yet from the number
and position of its drainage linos it must be considered to possess
great natural advantages. The great jhUa scattered over its
surface give rise to the Puraha and Ahnaiya, which further on,
in the Etawah district, develop into fair-sized streams, and to
the Ujhiani, a tributary of the Sengar. The pargana belongs
to the great loam tract, and its principal soils are loam and day,
Karhal Ri/irgana. 213
intorspersQd with extensive plains of usar, strongly impregnated
with reh» The clay is generally confined to the lowlands and the
loam to the uplands, whilst hero and there along the Sengar a few
patches of sandy soil appear. The principal jMs are at Dookali,
NaglaKondai, Auna,Sauj, Rarer, Timrakh, Bhanti, Sarh, Rurua,
Bansak, Harwai, Kirthua, Gamhira, Aimanpurand Kurra. Nearly
all the waste is bad and unprofitable. The pargana is very fully
irrigated, the bulk of the irrigation being from the canal. Owing
to the prevalence of canal irrigation, and the consequent raising
of the water-level, the supersaturated soil is not generally suitable
for earthen wells but masonry wells are profitable. The cul-
tivated area is 34,796 acres, an increase of 923 acres over tliat
recorded at the last settlement. The irrigable area is shown as
33,072 acres for the year of survey, an increase over the figures
of last settlement of only 11 acres. The actual irrigated area in
any normal year is no less than 70 per cent.- of the cultivated
area, the highest in the district. A comparison of irrigable
areas gives an increase during the 30 years of 2,021 acres, chiofiy
due to the extension of canal irrigation. The number of masonry
and half-masonry wells has more than doubled, there being now
113 of the former and 206 of the latter. There has been a dim-
inution in the areas recorded as culturable (waste and fallow)
and non-culturablo, the former now standing at 13,814 acres and
the latter at 12,392 acres.
The principal crops are, in the rabi, wheat and barley, both
alone and in combination with gram and peas and poppy, the
latter occupying 2,366 acres ; in the kharify rice, maize, cotton with
arhaVy juar and bajra >vith arhaVy are chiefly cultivated.
There is a tendency to mixed-cropping and double-cropping,
and there has been an increase in the area under poppy, garden
crops, maize and mixed crops generally : the area under sugar-
cane has declined.
Ahirs predominate as cultivators, holding 12,770 acres.
Brahmans come next with 9,134, and after them Thakurs with
7,067 acres. There is a fair sprinkling of Kachhis and Chamars,
but these are not so numerous as in other parts of the district.
The occupancy area, now 63*31 per cent, of the whole, has largely
increasedi but the average size of holdings has decreased since
214
the last settlement. This is most marked in the non-occupancy
area, where there is freer competition! Kon-occupancy rentals
have risen by 66 per cent, and occupancy rents by 13*5 per cent.,
the average incidence for the former being Rs. G’26 and for
the latter Bs. 5.
The revenue demand is Bs. 94,702, an increase of 8*71 per
cent, on the former revenue. About half thepargana is still held
by co-parcenary communities, though they have been losing heavily,
mainly to single zamindari tenure, though there has also been a
gain to joint zamindari Over a thousand acres are still hejd
in hhaiyacliara tenure. The communities are mainly those of
Thakurs, petty struggling brotherhoods, on whom increasing
numbers tell severely. Brahmans, who are here old hereditary
zaminchrs, have been losing appreciably, and the new acquirers
are as usual the money-lending classes. Practically none of
the pargana is owned by Ahirs, a most unusual circumstance in
this district. In spite of the large increases under single zamin-
dariy the average holding of each recorded landholder has
diminished from 81 acres to 39 in the last 30 years. The largest
individual landowners are the Baja of Partabnair in the Etawah
district, who holds most of the large village of Kurra-Jarawan
and the villages of Sarh, Bhanti, Khera and others ; Lala Phulzart
Lai, Bania of Karhal, who holds five whole villages and other
property, here and there ; Babu Bansidhar, Bania, of Cawnpore,
who holds the large village of mauza Patara and Timrakh ; the
Baja of Mainpuri, who owns part of Salian and Udua Danda ;
Lala Parshotam Das of Farrukbabad, who owns four villages ;
and the Brahman family which owns Karhal khas, Muhammadpur
Nagaria, and shares in other villages. The village of Dhankar-
pur has been held rent free by a Musalman family since the days
of the Mughals.
The population of the pargana in 1872 was 46,257 :in 1881
it had risen to 56,478, but fell in 1891 to 55,301 and in 1901
to 54,631. There has thus been a net increase in the 30 years
of 18 per cent., and like its neighbour Barnahal, though it
escaped the heavy losses suffered by the rest of the district in
the eighties, it has decreased in population during the last
decade. The large area under water makes the pargana malarioaia
Sflff
The pargana is a purely iliral tract situated at a distance from
the railway^ and with no industries but agricultnrec Karhal,
with a population of 6,268/ is the only Act XX town, and is
the headquarters of the tahsil. * The only metalled road is that
which runs through Karhal khda from Ktawah to Mainpuri.
There are three good unmetalled roads leading from Karhal to
Kishni, Sirsaganj and Ghiror, but the northern and north-
eastern portions of the pargana arc poorly provided with com*
munications. There is little historical interest attaching to the
pargana. Karhal was formerly a top/xi of the old Akbari
pargana of Havcli-Etawah, which formed the head of a ildBiVir*
Before 1840 it received 14 villages from Dehli-Jakhan, and in
1860 another 19 villages wore added to it from Sauj, two of
which, Madhan and Saruulia, have since been transferred to
Mainpuri.
KARHAL TaltaH.
Karhal tahsil comprises the Karhal and Barnahal parganas,
and lies in the south-east of the district between pargana Kishni
to the east and tahsil Shikohabad to the west. The total area
is 218*2 square miles, or 139,620 acres, divided into 193 mauzaa.
The cultivated area is 70,694 acres. Roughly speaking, the
Sengar river is the dividing line between the two parganas,
which difPer radically from one another in physical features.
Karhal pargana lies in the loam tract, with the exception of a
few villages in the south-west, which have a sandy soil. It
contains no rivers of any size, but there are chains of depressions,
jkUa and lakes, which in the rains form lines of drainage.
The surface is uniform throughout, with large stretches of ubot
scattered about it. Pargana Barnahal, on the other hand, is
distinguished by its light loam soil and the high sandy tracts
near and parallel to the Sengar, while the proportion of usar
is smaller and the drainage more rapid than in KarhaL
For purposes of revenue and criminiJ jurisdiction E[arhd|
in itself a very light charge, is usually combined with another
tahsil and is in charge of a subdivisional officer belonging to
the headquarters staff at Mainpuri. A tahsildar with magisterial
powers is posted at Karhal and the civil jurisdiction is exerciieft
216
Mainpuri District*
by tho munsif of Mainpuri. Lala Phulzari Lai, a local notable '
of Karhal, exercises honorary magisterial powers within the
Karhal police circle. There are two police stations in the tahsil,
at Kurra and Karhal, and portions of the Mainpuri and Ghiror
police circles also fall within its boundaries.
At the census of 1901 the population was 98,398, of whom
53,924 were males. Musalmaus only contributed 4,896 to the
total, while of other redigions, Christians, Jains, Ary as, Sikhs,
etc., there were only 726. Of the Hindu castes Ahirs enormously
preponderated with 23,104 representatives, nearly twice as many
as those of the next most numerous bctfly, tho Chamars, of
whom there were 12,547. Kachhis and Brahmans followed,
each with a membership of over 9,000, and some way
behind them Rajputs with 6,713. No other caste l as as many
as 4,000 representatives, Karhal appears to have monopolized
the 169 Bhils Avho were recorded for the district. Tho taJisil
is a purely rural tract, situated at a distance from the railway,
which only just touches the north-western corner, and possessing
no special trades or industries other than agriculture. Karhal
is the only Act XX town, and contains the usual administrative
offices of a tahsil headquarters as well as a market of merely
local importance. Barnahal is a village approached by poor
village tracks. Karhal is comparatively ill off for communica-
tions. The only metalled road in the tahsil is the Etawah-
Mainpuri road which passes through Karhal town, and there
are three very fair unmetalled roads branching out from the
town, one to Kishni and Baman, along the south of Karhal
pargana, one through the south of pargana Barnahal to Sirsaganj
and Shikohabad, and the third north-west to Ghiror. A great
part of pargana Barnahol and all the northern and north-western
portions of pargana Karhal are still unprovided with anything
that can be described as a road.
KARIMGANJ, Pargana Kuraoli, TaksU Mainpuri.
This village, in 27® 19' N. and 79® 8' E., lies six miles from
Mainpuri on the Etah road. Its population in 1901 numbered
2,263 persons, of whom 18 were zamindarSf 1,383 cultivators
and 549 labourers. There are nine hamlets. There has been a
Kanirara Bxmtg.
211
remarkable increase in the population of this village since 1872,
when it contained only 847 inhabitants. It covers an area of
2,104 acres, of which 1,869 are under cultivation, and consists
of two TfiahcLls assessed at Rs. 3,750. Xarimganj was in old days
a much more notable place than it is now. The adjoining khera
which is now abandoned was once the centre of a considerable
town. A long lake curves round it, approaching it on the
west side. But to the east there must have been an imposing
city containing gome thousands of inhabitants, and perhaps a
mile in circumference, with an inner bazar reaching nearly to
the road and a ganj or market outside. There arc few remains
of the old town, but the ground is everywhere covered with
fragments of brick, while on the road are traces of a gateway,
with some remnants of another gateway on the ground beyond
the road. A broken image lies near the road, but other frag-
ments found here have been removed. On . the summit of the
khera arc the ruins of a fort which once belonged to Ehau
Bahadur, a famous chief who lived about a century and a half
ago and is still remembered as far afield as Kasganj and
Aliganj in the Etah district and Nabiganj at the other end of
Mainpuri. Vague legends suggest that ho l)roke up the central
part of the town to build his fort, and after his death none of
his family seem to have lived in the town. Khan Bahadur is
even said to have helped the then Raja of Mainpuri to enlarge
that city, whose rivalry ultimately proved fatal to Karimganj.
KAURARA BUZURG, Pargma and TahsU MustapABAD.
This village, in 27® 13' N. and 78® 46' E., lies about 24
miles to the west of Mainpuri near the north bank of the Sengar.
The population in 1901 numbered 2,648 persons, of whom 141
were zamindars, 1,360 cultivators and 684 labourers. The village
consists of one makcU and 13 hamlets covering an area of
3,764 acres, of which 1,916 are under cultivation. Nearly three-
fourths of the cultivated area is irrigated from the canal and
the land revenue assessed is Rs. 6,260. The eamincktrs are
Thakurs, Brahmans, Banias and Sunars, The village contains
a vernacular school and there are the ruins of an old fort and
of an indiffo factory close by.
218 : Mainpun Didriet.
KHAIBGARH^ Pmgana and Tahsil Mustafabad.
This village, in 2.7® 11' N. and 78® 33' E., lies 42 miles to
the south of Mainpuri and five miles to the north of the Makhanpur
station on the main line of the East Indian Railway. In 1901
its population was 1,492, consisting mainly of Banias, Brahmans
and Thakurs. The village used to be of greater size and
importance, and is chiefly now remarkable as a local trade centre
and the residence of wealthy Marwari Brahmans, whose largo
masonry houses give the place the appearance of a small town.
There is an old fort of the Chauhans, and a still older one is
said to have been built by Raja Sanman. There is a good
bazar with market days twice a week, the principal articles
traded in being cattle, cotton, corn, sugar, cloth and ghi. The
village is divided into four maMa paying Rs. 1,160 land revenue.
Formerly it was owned by Chauhans, but the local Marwaris
and Kunwar Kushalpal Singh’s family have acquired most of
the area. There are two subsidiary hamlets. In the village are
a school, two temples, a pound and a post-office.
KISHNI, Fargana Kishni, Tahail Bhonqaon.
This village, in 27® 2' N. and 79® 18' E., lies on the Etawah-
Farrukhabad metalled road 22 miles from Mainpuri and 24
miles from the Etawah railway station. The terminus of the
unmetalled road running from Sirsaganj along the south of the
district is here. The population, according to the census of
1901, is 2,339, and its area is 3,122 acres assessed at Rs. 3,750.
There are 14 hamlets. The village contains a police station,
a post-office, a village school, a cattle-pound, and shops for the
sale of liquor and drugs. Markets are held twice a week on
each Saturday and Tuesday. The village consists of two mahala
owned by Thakurs and Brahmans. The cultivators are chiefly
Thakurs, Brahmans, Kachhis, Ahirs and Chamars, and most of
them are occupancy tenants.
KI8HNI-NABIQANJ Pargam.
Pargana Eishni-Nabiganj is situated on the extreme east of
the Bhongaon tahsil, of which it forms a part, and of the district.
Its eastern boundaries are parganas Chhibramau and Bakrawatof
Kislini-NabiifaiiJ Pargana.
819
the Farrakhabad district; and it marches with Bewar and
Bhongaon on the west. Of a long irregular shape; it stretches the
whole length of this portion of the district from its northern
boundary; the Kali !N'adi; down to the Etawah district on the
south. Its total area is 71;706 acreS; or 112*06 square mileS; and
comprises 87 mai 62 as; which are divided into 114 rnahals. The
Isan and Ariud rivers and the Cawnporc branch of the Lower
Ganges Canal traverse it from west to oast.
The pargana comprises two distinct tracts of country; the
dividing line being the watershed of the Isan and Arind to the
north of the Cawnporc branch canal. The upper half belongs
to the northern bhur tract; and the lower is a continuation of
the central loam tract of the district. The well capacity of the
former is poor and there arc comparatively few jliUa and tala, the
main exceptions being those of J auauru; Jot; and Chirawar. Like
all bhur, this tract is liable to suffer both in seasons of excessive
rainfall and of drought ; it underwent a period of deterioration
in the wet seasons of the last settlement; culminating in 1890
when it was overrun with kana, and the cultivated area of the
previous settlement had sunk from 15;480 to 10;573 acres. There
has been a recovery since; and the introduction of steady irrigation
in a portion of the pargana from the Bewar branch of the Lower
Ganges Canal should protect it to some extent for the future,
though there is always a danger of the recurrence of the pest in a
series of wet years. In the southern loam tract the soil has much
less sand in its composition and is of much firmer and heavier
quality; tending; over large areaS; to run to clay, while there are
extensive plains of uaa/r. But the intervening culturable soil
is usually a clean loam of excellent productive quality. The well
capacity is generally good; the spring level being within easy
reach and the substratum strong; while there are numerous large
jhila, which; in ordinary years, usefully supplement the irriga*
tion. The most important of these are 6aman; the largest in the
district; Basait, Pharenji, Mahuli, and Shamsherganj . Of the total
area 36,732 acres are cultivated, of which 30,660 are ir:|[igable.
The irrigated area in any normal year is well over half the
cultivated area„ and also above the district average. Eight thousand
nine hundred and sixteen acres are culturable (fallow and waste)|
McAifypwi iKtMot*
1,961 acres are under groves aud||;24,097 acres are unculturable.
At the last settlement the cultivated area was larger by only
45 acres, while irrigatiou has now increased by over 300
acres.
The kharifekJid rabi areas closely approximate; but in the
poorer villages more JcMrif is grown than rabi, and in such
villages hajra is preferred to juai\ Wheat, alone or in com-
bination, is the principal rabi crop, and maize and juar with
arhar cover most of the hfuarif area. There has been a consider-
able increase of late years in the amount of maize sown, and
also in the practice of double-cropping and mixed-cropping.
Rice is grown, but the area under it is very variable. Poppy
and garden crops aro rising in popularity, but sugarcane has
diminished since the previous settlement.
The total population is 56,430, giving a density of 604 to the
square mile of total area and 983 to the square mile of cultiva-
tion. This is an increase of 16 per cent, over the figures of
1872 and of 14 per cent, over those of 1891. The vast majority
are Hindus, among whom Thakurs and Ahirs largely predomi-
nate. The pargaiia is a purely agricultural tract ; and though it
contains 17 villages Avith a population of over 1,000, none are of
any greater importance than petty local bazars. The two biggest
are Nabiganj to the north and Kishni to the south, the latter
having still a slight importance as the local centre and camping
headquarters of this distant portion of the district, while the
former was once the headquarters of a pargana of the same name.
There are no trades or manufactures ; the pargana is at some
distance from the railway on either side, and has not advanced for
some time past in the matter of communications, the larger
number of the villages being off the roads that do exist. The
Isan is not bridged, and communication from the one half of tho
pargana to the other often means long detours outside its bound-
aries. A metalled road from Bewar into the Farrukhabad
district runs through Nabiganj in the extreme north; and
Ihe metalled Etawah-Bewar road passes through Kishni and
the south-west of the pargana, but otherwise the greater
portion of it is served by nothing much better than village
tracks.
Kishni-Nabigaoj Pargcma.
221
The bulk of the pargana is still held by co-parcenary
communities, which own 44,806 out of the total 71,706 acres, 34,828
acres being hold in imperfect poUtidari and 9,978 acres in perfect
pattidari. These communities hold 56 rmhals out of 114, and
number 2,219 recorded proprietors. They are mainly Chauhan
Thakiir brotherhoods, the chief branches of which are those of
Arjunpur and Bhadai, Tarha, Ramnagar, Rathe and Kishni. Of
the 68 mahals hold in zamlmlari tenure 30 are single
the principal proprietors being the Raja of Mainpuri, who owns
nine and a half villages, the Raja of Tirwa, with four and a half,
and the Thakur of Saraan who holds the two very large and valuable
villages of Samau and Basait in the south-west of the pargana.
In addition to tliese the Raja of Mainpuri receives haqq malihawi
as superior proprietor in 21 villages of the tahtqa of Laigaon to
the south-east of the pargana from the local under-proprietors,
who are called mibqaddims or hiswadw. Those are for the
most part Thakur village communities, who pay into the treasury
fixed sums on account of the malikana along with their revenue,
an arrangement dating from 1840. There are similar hiswadari
villages in Bhongaon, Alipur Patti and Mainpuri. The revenue
demand is now Rs. 81,945, an increase of 7*11 per cent, on the
expiring demand plus owner's rate.
Thakurs hold the largest area as cultivators, followed
by Kachhis, who are the best cultivators in the district. Ahirs
and Brahmans are not far behind, and Chamars hold a fair
proportion. Thakurs and Ahirs are poor cultivators and
unsatisfactory tenants, but their rents are the lowest, because
they are largely related to the proprietary bodies. Kachhis
pay the highest rents, because, as a rule, their land is the best
in the village and they can be more easily squeezed than the
higher castes. Seventy-eight per cent, of the tenants’ area is
held in occupancy tenure, and the prevailing rule is to pay lump
« rents on holdings of mixed soils. The average size of holdings
of all kinds is tending to decrease, that of occupancy tenants
being now 3*67 acres, of non-occupancy tenants 1*39 acre,*
and of sir and Ichudkasht 4*66 acres. The standard soil rates
vary from Rs. 12-7-6 on g'luhan to 12 annas on unirrigated
and inferior hhur.
Mainpwri DiatricU
KOSMA, Pargaim Ghirob, Tahsil Matnpubt.
This village, in 27° 10' N. and 78® 55' E., lies about 14
miles to the south-west; of Mainpuri, at a distance of about one
mile from the railway station of the same name on the Shikoh-
abad-Farriikhabad line. It is divided into two distinct villages
called Kosma Hinud and Kosma Muslimin. The former, which is
divided into six 'niahals, (iovors an area of 3,334 acres, of which
1,617 are under cultivation, and is assessed at Ks. 4,450. Kosma
Muslimin, which consists of only one tnahaly covers an area of
3,302 acres, of whi(;h 1,163 are cultivated, and pays Rs. 3,300 a
year as Government revenue. There are 27 hamlets in the two
villages. A rajhaha flows through the village and irrigates about
1,575 acres in Kosma llinud and 1,163 acres in Kosma Muslimin.
The population of the two.portions was, in 1901, respectively 2,818
and 1,714. The Miisalmans of the place, who are converts from
Hinduism, claim descent from the Jaisalmer family of Tank Raj-
puts and follow a curious mixture of Hindu and Muhammadan
customs. The whole village appears to have been at one time in
the possession of these Musalman converts, but a great part of it
has now passed into the hands of Hindus, Thakurs, Brahmans
and Marw’aris. Family disputes which are still going on appear
to have chiefly contributed to this loss of zmiindarL The village
contains a small bazar and a vernacular school.
KUCHELA, Pargana Giiiror, TaJisU Mainpuri.
This village, in 27° 10' N. and 78° 8' E., lies eight miles to tlie
south of Mainpuri on the unmetalled road between the Dharmau-
gadpur-Nagaria and Gangs! bridges. Its total area is 3,341 acres,
out of which 1,204 arc under cultivation, and it consists of one
maJtul assessed at Rs 3,100 with seven hamlets. The Gangsi rajbaha
irrigates about 231 acres in the village. The population in 1901
numbered 2,187 persons, of whom 77 were minindarSy Thakurs
oftheChauhan and Tank clans, and 1,504 were cultivators.
The village contains both a post-office and a vernacular school.
KUMIIAUL, Pa/rgana Kishni, TahsU Bhongaon.
This village, in 27° 5' N. and 79° 28' E., is situated seven
^iles east; of Kishi^i on the left bank of the A^ind river, Ita
Enraoli.
223
population in 1901 was 2369, the principal castes being Ahirs,
Kachhis, Brahmans and Chamars. Tt is divided into four maAa/s,
paying Rs. 4,200 land revenue, and 11 hamlets excluding the
main site. There are two market days in the week.
KURAOLI, Parg%na Kukaolt, Tohsil Mainpurt.
This town, in 27® 25' N. and 79° 2' E., lies on the high
road from Mainpiiri to Etah in the northern corner of the district
some 14 miles distant from Mainpiiri. The town is open and
well-built though small, containing several good houses belonging
to well-to-do traders and money -lenders of the place. Standing
on the high road without any neighbouring town to rival it, it
possesses the advantages of a post-oflice, police station and a
vernacular school which have all helped to increase its compara-
tively new importance. There are six hamlets of Kuraoli proper,
and the inhabited site of Sujrai, the headquarters of the Raja of
Sujrai, whose estate is now under the Court of Wards, is included
in the town and lies to the south of the Grand Trunk Road, the
rest of the town lying to the north. Unlike Bhongaon and Bowar
the Grand Trunk Road is not the main bazar, but skirts Kuraoli
and Sujrai retaining its normal width free of encroachments, and
clear of all but one or two shops. The main bazar of the town
consists of a street loading to a market-place, in the centre of
which is the school. The market and shops belong to the Sujrai
estate. There are nine mosques and 21 Hindu temples in and
about the town, that founded by the Kayasth Qanungos being
perhaps the oldest, though it does not claim an antiquity of much
over a century. The “ Satia " oculists have a considerable
local reputation. There are tenor twelve families of them,
and they profess to have a practice extending to a distance of a
hundred miles. They treat nothing but cataract, using a minute
dagger-shaped lancet to prick with, and a blunt one like a
bodkin to press out the discharge from the puncture. Their
instruments are made by the Sikligar Fathans of the place. A
good deal of the district tarhuahi work is done here. The town
is administered under Act XX of 1856, the cost being defrayed
by a house- tax. The total number of houses is 1,608 and the
popultition in 1901 amounted to 4,339^ consisting of .2,263
224
Mainpuri District
and 2^086 females^ while classified according to religion there
were 3;062 Hindus, 1,033 Musalmans and 244 others.
KURAOLI Pargana.
Pargana Kuraoli, in the north-west corner of the district,
forms the northern portion of tahsil Mainpuri, the other two
parganas of which bound it to the south. On the west and north
is the Etah district, and pargana Bhongaoii lies to the east. Its
area is 47,841 acres, or 74*8 square miles.
The Kali Nadi flows along the northern boundary of the
pargana in an easterly course with a narrow alluvial khadir,
succeeded to the south by irregular ridges of hhur and sandy
soil, sometimes disappearing but in places forming rolling sand
hills. Another line of blmr runs in a steep ridge south from
Kuraoli town to the Kak Nadi and thence to the Isan, cutting
through the dumat tract to the south of the pargana. The Kak
forms the southern boundary of the pargana, except for eleven
villages which lie between it and the Isan. It is a small stream
with a narrow area of tarai, and a shallow channel which serves
to carry the flood drainage from villages in the Etah district
into the Isan. As its bed is not very well defined damage from
'floods is not infrequent. There arc several jhUs of considerable
size, the most important being those at Rasemar, Panwah, Bar-
khera, Sirsa, Isai and Basra Sultanpur.
Cultivation now covers 27,378 acres, a decrease of 6*40 per
cent, since last settlement, when the area was 28,941 acres. It
it probable, however, that owing to different systems of classifi-
cation the real loss is not more than 4 per cent. The culturable
area (waste and fallow,) is 4,603 acres, and the unculturable 15,368
acres. Five hundred and ninety-two acres are planted with groveSf
as against 457 at the former settlement. The irrigable area has
increased by 571 acres since 1873, and now stands at 20,574 acres,
but the real improvement is not to be measured by these figures.
The introduction of the Bewar Canal has provided the light soil
and tracts, which were formerly peculiarly susceptible to
drought and ill-furnished with facilities for irrigation, with a
stable supply of water, and no less than 37 per cent, of the irrigated
area is now able to rely on this source. The actual area irrigated'
Knraoli Pa/rgam.
225
in a normal year is slightly less than half the cultivated area and
is below the district average. Masonry wells, and those lined
with block hanka/Tj are built fairly easily in most parts of the
pargana, and there were 577 of them returned at settlement as
in effective use. A certain amount of use is also made of the
jhils and of the Kak Nadi.
Wheat, alone and in combination, is the chief staple of the
maize and juo/r (in combination) of the hhar if. The
areas under poppy, tobacco, potatoes, garden crops and sugar-
cane have largely increased in recent years and now occupy a
fairly large proportion of the total cultivated area. The tendency
of the cultivation is to double-cropping and mixed-cropping
with the more valuable crops.
The population was, in 1901, 37,973, having risen by 12 per
cent, since 1872, and the density was 506 to the square mile of
the total area and 883 to the square mile of cultivated area, as
against 447 and 755 respectively at last settlement. The number
of villages is 91, with 167 inhabited sites. The revenue is
Es. 46,879, an increase of 8 per cent, on the expiring demand
the owner^s rate. The great bulk of the pargana is still held
by co-parcenary communities, nearly two-thirds being owned
by Thakurs, mainly of the Rathor clan. Next come Kayasths,
and after them Ahirs and Brahmans. Both Thakurs and Kayasths
have been losing ground during the last 30 years, but the greater
part of their losses has been acquired by Ahirs and Brahmans,
and the money-lending classes have still but very small posses-
sions in the pargana. The principal single zaminda/ri estate is
that of Sujrai, now represented by a minor and managed by the
Court of Wards. The Thakur family of Mirhaoli Kalan have
also considerable and increasing estates. The Kayasths of qaeba
Knraoli, descendants of the Qanungo families who amassed their
property under native rule, are gradually losing their former
large possessions. The Ahirs holding the Isan villages in the
south-w'est are good cultivators and successful zaminda/rSf and
have been adding to their property. Daring the Mutiny their
ancestors defeated Tej Singh, the rebel Eaja of Mainpuri; and
captured two of his guns, services for which their two leaders
received grants of land.
Uainpuri Vistrict.
226
Among the cultivators Ahirs largely predominate as a single
caste, and they and the Thakurs hold practically all the sir and
hhudkisht But theie is a good number of Lodhas, as well as
of Kachhis, Chamars and Brahmans. The lowest rents are
paid by Ahirs, and the highest by Kachhis. The bulk of the
cultivated area is held by occupancy tenants, no less than 80
per cent, of the tenants’ area being so held. There has been a
great deal of subdivision, and rents of occupancy holdings
show a large increase of recent years, the average incidence
per acre of rents being now Rs. 8*65 for occupancy and
Rs. 3*81 for non-o3Cupancy holdings. The only Act XX town
is Knraoli, a local mart for the surrounding country with a
small export trade in grain and a population of 4,339. The
Kayasth landlords reside here, and they and the rest of the
population create a demand for vegetable produce, which is
supplied by the Kachhi market-gardeners of the si^burbs and
surrounding villages, where cultivation is consequently very
close and rents very high. There are no other large villages
and no industries or manufactures, the tract being a purely
rural one.
The pargana is generally well served in the matter of
communications. QasJm Kuraoli lies on the Grand Trunk Road
from Allahabad to Delhi, which runs through the pargana due
east and west, connecting it with Bhongaon, Bewar and the
Farrukhabad district on the one side, and with Etah on the other.
A little to the east of the town another metalled road takes off
from the Grand Trunk Road and gives communication with
Mainpuri town, 13 miles to the south. An unmetalled road,
fairly good and bridged throughout its length, connects Kuraoli
with Ghiror, 18 miles to the south-west on the metalled Shikoh-
abad-Mainpuri road, thus giving access to. the south and west
portions of the district and the railway. Off the lines of these
roads, however, the means of communication consist of little but
village tracks.
The only historical associations of Kuraoli are connected with
the Mutiny. It was at the encamping-ground here that the
native cavalry mutinied in 1857 and murdered several of their
offioew,
Maiftpnri OiVU Siatibn.
There is a fair trade in cotton^ grain, iron and country pro- *
duce. The inlaid tarkashi or brass wire work has been described
in chapter I. There is a ginning mill at the east entrance of the
town opposite the Mission compound.
The civil station is described below.
MAINPURI CIVIL STATION, Pargarut and Tahsil
Mainpuri.
Mainpuri civil station was constituted a notified area from
the 1st of April 1909, and includes the small town of Gola Bazar,
formerly administered under Act XX of 1856, as well as Nagla
Chamaran near the latter, and Nagla Pazawa near the opium
compound. Part of the civil station on the right bank of the
Isan however is outside the notified area, and here are situated
the civil courts, judge’s residence, flag station and the canal
office. The jail also, though on the left bank of the river, is
excluded from the notified area limits. Two bridges over the
Isan connect the civil station with the flag station and the city,
and near the latter bridge, on the river bank, is the opium com«
pound, with weighing sheds, offices and residences. A little
further from the river, on a high site, lie the revenue and criminal
courts and offices of the collector and magistrate, together with
the district board, police, and Public Works offices. To tho
•west of this group of buildings is the Awa Bagh, a cricket
ground, and to the east the church, station club and two public
gardens managed by the district board. Near by also are the
jail and post and telegraph office, and the Public AVorks
department rest-house and Opium officer’s residence. Half a
mile to the north-west is the Gola bazar, near which are the
d&k bungalow, police lines and seven residential houses com-
posing the greater bulk of the civil station. There are several
drives round the civil station on both sides Aof the river.
The cemetery lies about a mile to tho north- west of thb Gola
Bazar* The population of the notified area is about l,6od^
including the Gola Bazar, with 678 at the 1901 census. The
notified area is managed by a committee consisting of the District
Magistrate as president, the civil surgeon, Am district engineer,
and the sub-divisional^ magistrate of Mainpuri. A
Maiwp^H Distriet,
m
assesses the house>tax^ which amounts to Rs. 300 per annum^ but
the bungalows are assessed by a special sub-committee. The total
(estimated) income for 1909-1910 amounted to Rs. 1,860, and
included, in addition to house-tax, the income from the pound and
nazul land receipts. The expenditure is devoted to lighting,
sanitation and public ^^orks. The police force consists of two
provincial cfwLuhkhivs paid for by Government, and is housed in
a building provided by the committee. A slaughter-house for
horned cattle is maintained by the butchers of the Gola Bazar,
and is supervised by the notified area.
MAINPURI Pargana.
Pargana Mainpuri lies roughly in the centre of the district,
forming, with parganas Ghiror and Kuraoli, part of the Mainpuri
tahsil. It is bounded on the east by pargana Bhongaon, on the
south by Karhal, on the north by Kuraoli and on the west and
south-west by Ghiror. The total area is 104,644 acres, or
163*51 square miles. The pargana is watered by three rivers,
the Isan, the Ariud, and the Kak Nadi, a tributary of the Isan, all
flowing eastwards. The north-east of the pargana, about one-
third of the whole, lies within the bhur tract, the rest within the
central loam tract. Between the Isan and the Arind runs the
Cawnporo branch of the Lower Ganges Canal, sending out several
important distributaries. Irrigation from the canal is a feature
of the southern loam tract, while the himr has excellent well-
capacity and contains numerous jhils of large size. There are
jhila at Karimganj, Kankan, Manauna, Thorwa, Khichanli,
Dharmangadpur and Barauli. The cultivated area at the
recent settlement was 47,304 acres. In 1873 it -was 50,498
acres, so that there has been a decrease. Part of this is merely
nominal,.bcing due to .a more accurate survey, but an appreci-
able f raictiou is caused by the increase in the area under groves
and vilUgfr sites, and probably in the areas covered with water''
and taken up for canal distributaries and channels. The margin
left for alternating fallow would also seem to have increased.
The oulturable area (waste and fallow) is 13,857 acres, and that
under groves is 1,602 acres, ^ ‘an increase of 372 acres
over the figures of tho previous settlement. The figures
Mainpurl Pwrgam.
accepted as correct for the irrigable area at the recent and the
former settlement are 38,830 and 37,460 acres, respectively.
The actual area irrigated in a normal year is about lialf the
cultivated area, and is almost up to tlio district average.
Though the number of earthen wells has fallen, masonry wells
have multiplied. The principal ruhi crops are wheat and barley
alone and in combination with gram and peas. Poppy is also
largely grown, a great increase having taken place since
last settlement. The chief Jcharif crops are Jkijra (usually
in combination with arhar), maize and rice, the area under
maize having, hero as elsewhere, largely increased of recent
years. The double-cropped area has also extended. Lump
rents on holdings of mixed soils are the rule, the grain- rented area
being insignificant. The hulk of the tenants' area is held by
occupancy tenants, 78 per cent, of the cash-routed area being
in their hands. Non-occupancy rents have rapidly risen as a
result of the recent abnormal rise in prices, and the average
rental incidence per acre over the whole pargaua is now
lis. 4*26 for occupancy holdings and lls. 5’07 for non-occupancy
holdings, the rates ranging from Rs. 11-2-0 for the best irrigated
grmhan to Re. 1 for maiyar, Thakurs and Ahirs hold about one-
half of the holdings area, and their rents arc low. Brahmans,
Kachhis, Lodhas and Ohamars come next in order with a fair
proportion of the whole. The revenue, excluding a nominal
sum of Es.;4()0 on a Government property, stands at Rs. 1,01,502
for the first five years of the existing settlement, Rs. 1,01,067
for the second and Rs. 1,01,132 for the remainder. The popula-
tion of the pargana in 1001 was 83,134, as against SS^lS in
1872, a decrease of 270* The loss has been almost confined to
the villages in the^ bhur tract, a circtHnstance which supports the
statement made in the census report that the shrinkage was
probably due to stress of bad seasons, and injury from^oods and
hana grass. During the decade 1881—1891 there was a good d^l
of emigration.
Mainpuri, the chief town of the pargana, is also the district
headquarters, and a full description of it will be found in its own
place. The single notified area is the Mainpuri civil station
including the Gola Basar, which has a population of about 1,000
Jllainpwri District.
and was brought under the operation of the Act merely for
sanitary and administrative reasons. With the exception of
tlio extensive tract to the north and north-west of Mainpuri town,
which is quite innocent of roads, the pargana is well provided
with communications. There is a metalled road from Bhongaon
to Shikdiabad which passes through Mainpuri, and gives com-
munication with Agra. Other metalled roads lead from Main-
puri to Etawah and Kuraoli, while unmetalled roads connect
the town with Kishni and Sirsaganj. The Shikohabad-
Farrukhabad Kailway traverses the centre of the pargana and
connects Mainpuri with the outside world.
The 85 maJials wliich existed at last settlement have
increased to 162, and the area held by communities has
decreased from 62 to 48 per cent, of the whole, practically the
entire difference having gone over to the single zamindari tenure.
The average amount of land held by each proprietor is now 31
acres as compared with 51 in 1873. The largest individual
zaminda/r is the Kaja of Mainpuri, who holds full possession or
shares in 24 villages, while he receives haqq malikana in 28
more amounting to Rs. 5,987 per annum. Other large proprie-
tors are the Raja of Tirwa, the proprietor of the Kotla estate,
and the Baja of Awa. The last-named has been adding to his
property. Sixty -six thousand nine hundred and five acres out
of the total area of 104,644 are held by Thakurs, mainly Chauhans,
though Kachwahas and Jadon Thakurs are also numerous.
The Chauhans have lost largely since the last settlement, when
they held considerably over half the pargana. In some of their
villages there is a minute subdivision of shares, particularly in
the biswadari villages, such as Auren Fanraria, Sathni Lalpur,
Ujhaiya Faqirpur and Kankan. Brahmans, Kayasths, Ahirs,
Khattris, Marwaris and Banias hold most of the remainder of the
pargana, the three latter money-lending castes having established
themselves during the period of the last settlement.
MAINPURI TahsU.
Mainpuri tahsil comprises the parganas of Mainpuri,
Kuraoli and Qhiror with a total area of 386*2 square miles. It
is bounded on the north by the Etah district, on the west by
nainpiiri Tatiau.
m
parganas Mustafabad and Shikohadad, on the south-west and
south by parganas Barnahal and Karhal^ and on the east by
pargana JBhongaou. The Kali Nadi flows along the northern
boundary to the east with a narrow alluvial belt, to which
succeed ridges of sand. Another spur of sandhills strikes off
southwards, crossing the Kak Nadi, and the two rivers, with
the Arind, carry off the drainage. The Sengar just touches the
south of the tahsil. The Bewar, Etawah and Cawnpore branches
of the Lower Ganges Canal traverse the tahsil, rimniiig along
the watersheds of the rivers. In addition to the ridges of sand,
to the north, about one-third of Maiiipuri pargana lies in the
bhur tract, but the rest of the tahsil lies in the central loam tract
and contains stretches of usar and several ^7/ i/s of fair size.
Tlie tahsil headquarters are at Mainpuri, a description of
which will be found elsewhere. There are police stations at
Mainpuri, Kuraoli and Ghiror, but parts of their circles
go beyond the tahsil boundaries. Containing as it does the
district headquarters, the tahsil has naturally the best communica-
tions of any in the district. Metalled roads connect it ^with the
surrounding districts and with the most important places in the
other tahsils, and the Grand Trunk Hoad from Delhi runs
through the north of the tahsil. To complete the communica-
tions, however, roads to the west and north are required, parti-
cularly a road connecting Mainpuri with villages west of the
Isan. In 1901 the population numbered 183,180, of whom
100,034 were males. Hindus were as usual in an enormous
majority, Musalmans only mustering 1 1,746, while there were 1,484
representatives of other religions. Among the Hindus Ahirs
greatly predominated, there being 32,021 of them, a total only
exceeded in Shikohabad. Chamars came next with 23,515, and
after them Kachhis with 18,131 ,* Rajputs numbered 10,783 and
Brahmans 13,034, and of the other castes the most numerous were
Lodhas, 9,445; Gadariyas, 7,309; Kahars, 6,475; and Dhanuks,
4,993. There were 3,510 Mahajans, a greater number than in
any other tahsil, but the other money-lending castes were
comparatively scarce, only 858 members of the Bania caste being
found and 139 Marwaris. Of the latter tribe, however, only 10
other representatives were recorded in the rest of the district.
238
Uainpuri District,
MANCHHANA, Pargina and TahsU Bhonoaon.
This village, in 27® 12' N. and 79® 6' E., is situated four miles
south-east of Mainpuri near the Maiiipuri-Saman road. Its
population in 1901 was 2,161, consisting chiefly of Thakurs and
Brahmans. There are seven subsidiary hamlets excluding Nagla
Soti which lies within the mauzdf but is a separate mauza in
itself. There are 21 maluiia owned mostly by the Raja of
Mainpuri assessed to Rs. 3,131 land revenue. There is a village
school. Formerly the village was important as giving its name
to takbqd Manchhana now incorporated in Bhongaon and
Mainpuri.
MUHAMMADPUR LABHAUA, Pargana and
Talml SniKOiiABAD.
This village, in 27® 11' N. and 78® 39' E., lies about three
miles to the north of Shikohabad town and is usually known as
Labhaua. It is a small village of 1,053 inhabitants with one
hamlet assessed at Rs. 850 on a total area of only 387 acres. It
is chiefly remarkable as the residence of the head of the Kirar
clan of Rajputs, of whom Bhagwant Singh attained to great
influence during the last decade of the eighteenth century. There
are some fine buildings both here and in Shikohabad erected
by this family, which is now represented by Thakur Laik
Singh. Ho has recently set up a ginning factory in Sirsaganj,.
and owns a half interest in the concern. Kirar Ahirs, Brah-*
mans and Kachhis are the principal castes in the village, which
possesses a vernacular school, and is in the month of Phagun
the scene of a fair known as the Jalbahar.
MUSTAPABAD, Pargam and TahsU Mustafabad.
This village, in 27® 19' K and 78® 39' E., is about 34
miles west of Mainpuri and 17 miles north of Shikohabad. Its
population in 1901 numbered 1,934 persons, of whom 100 were
za/miiiularSf 844 cultivators, 39 traders and 299 labourers. Com-
prising six hamlets and eight makalsythe village covers an area of
I fiZi acifes, of which 746 acres are under cultivation. Musalmans,
Thakurs, Brahmans and ^nias are the zamivdara, and pay
Bs. 2422 a year as laud revenue. The tahsil headquarters,
Mnstafaliad rargam and TahsU,
which used to be situated here, have now been removed to
Jasrana. The village is now insignificant. It possesses a post-
office, a school and a bazar, and a market is hold here
twice a week. It is connected with Jasrana by a metalled
road and by unmetalled roads with Shikohabad and Pharha.
The village was named after one Mustafa Khan, a local magnate
in the reign of Jahangir. A mud fort, now in ruins, was built
by Shoo Ghulara, a Diwaii of Almas AH Khan, governor of the
district under the Nawab of Oudh, at the end of the eighteenth
century. Butcliers and Blhishtls form the bulk of the Musal-
man population. An old well hero is known as Dvdkadhari
from the purity of its water.
MUSTAFABAD Parg^tna and TahaiL
Tahsil and pargana Mustafabad, on the western border of
the district, is bounded on the north by. the J‘"tah district, on
the east by parganas Ghiror and Maiupuri, on the south by
pargana Shikohabad, and on the west by parganas Firozabad of
Agra and Jalesar of Ktah. Its area is 317*59 square miles, or
203,261 acres, and it contains 274 villages, 466 mahals and 848
inhabited sites, lu sliape it resembles a triangle with the apex
to the north. It is traversed by the Aiind, Senhar, Sengar
and Sirsa rivers, which flow with courses broadly parallel to one
another in a south-easterly direction. The Arind dries up in
the cold season and leaves a broad belt of good alluvial soil,
and the other two rivers, >vhich also dry up in the cold season,
though occasionally containing scattered pools and escaped canal
water, afford a fair margin of tarai, but owing to the scanty
supply in their beds and the height of the banks they are not
much used for irrigation. The north-eastern portion of the
tahsil is watered by the Cawnpore and Etawah branches of the
Lower Ganges Canal, which run at a low level, and the BhognK
pur branch of the same canal, introduced since the last settlement,
flows perpendicularly down the centre of the tahsil ; very little
irrigation is available from any of these branches. A good deal
of damage was caused at first by the last branch owing to
saturation and interference with thp natural drainage. The
liower Ganges feeder canal enters the pargana in its northern
240 Mainpu/ri
corner four miles north of tiopalpur^ where it feeds the Qiwnpore
branchy and thence runs to Jera^ feeding the Etawah and
Bhognipnr branches. From Gppalpnr this canal, with the
Bhognipur branch, crosses all the drainage lines including the
rivers above mentioned. The tahsil lies almost entirelj in the
central loam tract of the district, the only exception being
the few sandy villages to the south-west of the Sirsa river on the
Shikohabad border. The surface is in general uniformly level,
except in those parts where it is subject to fluvial action or
broken up into sandy ridges. There are three such lines of hhuvy
the largest running from pargana Jalesar through the tahsil to
the Jamna ravines in Shikohabad at a considerable elevation
above the surrounding country. A smaller line of sand follows
the course of the Sirsa river, and a third occurs in the northern
part of the tahsil with isolated patches in Bhadana and Ghagau.
There are no extensive lowlying tracts, but jhils of fair size
are met with at Kusiari, Shekhupur Hatwant, Paindhat, Dewa,
Kailai, Utrara, Kana Kawa, Surel and Uresar. There is a
certain amount of usar, but for the most part the soil is one
wide level loam of great natural fertility. One great drawback,
however, to its cultivation and prosperity is the haAmri weed
which infects a large number of villages in a broad irregular
belt from the north<west to the south-east. This weed seems to
have spread during the last 80 years, and several villages are
entirely overrun with it, though in the majority of cases only
specifio portions affected by it. Iii is seldom found in hhwr
and practically never in lowlying clay, and is nearly always
accompanied by brackish water, a fact which restricts the num-
ber of crops which can be sown in land affected by it, while the
time and labour required for its removal add greatly to the
expense of cultivation. As the leaves and stems wither in the
rains the kharif crop is generally unaffected, and it does not
seem to flourish in villages irrigated with canal water. For the
khdrifsAoQB a baist^ri-affected field lets for practically the same ‘
rent as anK)rdinary field, but when let for the rdbi it fetches
some 20 to 26 per cent. less.
The cultivated area is 116,906 acres, a decrease of 2,706
acres since last settlement, due to the decrease in the total aireft^
241
Hustafabad Pargma and Tohsll,
according to the new survey. Ninety-fonr per cent, of this area is
irrigable, the average figures for three years being 108,506 acres
as compared with 99,844 at last si ttlement. Canal irrigation
has increased appreciably since then; but the canal supply for
the whole tahsil is still not large, forming only 19 per cent,
of the whole, while wells furnish 79 per cent, and the area
irrigated from wells is increasing rapidly. The natural well-
capacity is nearly everywhere good ; and durable earthen wells
are generally possible except in parts near the canals where the
character of the subsoil has been allected. There is no canal
irrigation at all in the portion of the tahsil south of the Seiihar
river or in the extreme north of the tahsil. The actual irrigated
area in a normal year is about 55 ])er cent, of the cultivated area
— somewhat above the district average. 44ie culturable area is
19,980 acres including waste and fallow, 2,57 1 acres are under
groves and 64,804 acres are unculturahlo. The principal rabi
crops are wheat and barley, alono and in combination with gram
and peas, and the chief kharif crops are maize, cotton with
arhar, and juar and hajra with arJm\ The wheat cultivation
has declined since last settlement, .as have also sugarcane, indigo
and cotton, the last named being, however, still an important
staple. Their place has apparently been taken by the inferior
and less irrigated crops, barley and gram. On the other hand
the areas under poppy, cotton with arhar, tobacco, potatoes and
other garden crops have boon substantially expanding ; and there
is a tendency, as in the rest of the district, to double-cropping
and mixed-cropping. But the double-cropped area is still rela-
tively small, being only 14 6 per cent, of the whole cultivation.
The principal cultivating castes are Ahirs, ThakurSj, Lodbas,
Brahmans and Chamars, with a small sprinkling of K^chhis,
who as usual pay the highest rents. Sixty-six per cent, of the total
area is held by occupancy and ex-proprietary tenants, and only
18 per cent, by tenants-at- will, and the average size of occupancy
holdings is now 4*36 acres, that of non-occupancy holdings
being 3*29 acres. The rental incidence of the former has risen
by 20*23 per cent., and of the latter by 62*35 per cent, since
the last settlement, the average now being Rs. 6*17 per acre in
the one oase^ and Rs. 6*90 per acre in the other.
242
Mainpwri Distriot.
The revenno demand is now Rs. 3,19,840. Over half the
tahsil, viz. 114,241 acres, is still held by communities, mostly in
imperfect pattidari. Single occupies 46,469 acres,
and joint zamindari 38,352 acres, both the latter 'having
considerably increased since last settlement. Of the individual
castes Thakurs, mainly Chanhans and Jadons, are in a very large
majority, still holding over one-half of the total area, though they
lost one-sixth of their possessions during the last settlement
period. Brahmans and Ahirs are the next largest owners, but the
latter are hardly retaining their position. Among the traders and
speculators in land who have been ousting the hereditary land-
owners the most prominent are the Marwaris of Khairgarh and
Bampur and the Malieshri Banias. Musalmans and Kayasths
have also slightly increased their possessions in recent years. The
chief representatives of the Chanhan Thakurs are the Baja of
Eka ; Kunwar Dirgpal Singh and Kunwar Sultan Singh of
Uresar; and Thakur Pancham Singh of Darapur Milaoli. The
Jadons are represented by the Raja of Awa, Thakur Umrao
Singh and the raia of Xotla. The chief Ahir proprietor is
Chaudhri Sarnam Singh of Bharaul in pargana Shikohabad, and
Haji Abdul Bahman Khan of Parham is the most important
Mtttalman.
The population, which at the 1872 census was 165,476, rose
in 1881 to 162,201, but fell during the next decade to 155,263.
This decrease was general throughout the district and its causesij
have been discussed elsewhere. At the last census the total was
163,180, giving a density of 515 per square mile of total area,
and 901 per square mile of cultivation. The preponderance of
Hindus was as usual enormous, only 9,663 Musalmans being
returned for the whole tahsil. Among the Hindus Ahirs largely
predominated, with 29,506 representatives, Chamars coming next
with 20,677. Other important castes were Lodhas, 15,356 ; Raj-
puts, 9,714; Brahmans, 11,891; Kachhis, 8,243 ; and Gadariyas,
7,653. No other caste had as many as 4,000 representa-
tives, though Banias, with 3,949, were only just under this limit.
The tahsil headquarters halve been removed from Mustaf-
abad to Jasrana, the latter being more accessible from head-
quarters, but neither of them is anything more than a village
Nablgaol.
248
The other chief villages and local market places are Pharha,
Parham, Eka, Baragaoii, Uresar, Paiiidhat, Ram pur and Khair-
j;arh. The two latter are remarkable for the number of
wealthy Marwaris settled in them, and Pharha, near the Agra
border, is the most important trading mart in the tah^il and the
only Act XX town. Paindhat is noted for its shrine, which
attracts thousands of pilgrims twice a year in and Asarh.
There is no railway in the tahsil, but the Makhanpur station
on the East Indian Railway almost adjoins its extreme south-west
boundary, and the new Shikohabad-Earrukhabad line passes
within a few miles of its south-east corner. The stations of
Kosma, Shikohabad, Firozabad and Jalesar also lie within reach.
A metalled road runs from Etah to Shikohabad through Jasrana,
and there is another from Mustafabad to Jasrana and on to
Ghiror and Kosma. Unmetalled roads connect Mustafabad with
Pharha, Shikohabad, Kailai and Kharit, and there are other
smaller roads branching off from the canal bridges at Kusiari,
Baragaon, Kheria, Patikra, Jera, Katana and Fatehpur Pat. A
new road from Mustafabad to Khairgarh and Makhanpur station
would open up the south-west of the tahsil. The tahsil is in the
charge of a subdi visional officer stationed at Mainpuri,and
magisterial powers are also exercised by the tahsildar. KiiBwar
Dirgpal Singh, a Chauhan zamindar and local notable, exercises
^honorary magisterial powers at Uresar and has jurisdiction
within the Eka police circle. There are police stations at
Mustafabad (now temporarily located in Jasrana and Pharha)
and Eka, the circles of which are contained entirely in and
are conterminous with the tahsil boundaries.
NABIGANJ, Pargana Kishni, TahaU BnoiraAON.
This village, in 27® 12' N. and 79® 28' E., lies on the Grand
Trank Road about 14 miles east of Bhongaon. The populatioli
was 1,065 in 1901. A good deal of business is done in supplying
the wants of travellers along the road, and a aarai on the road-
side built by Khan Bahadur Khan affords them accommodation.
The , area of the village is 775 acres and the land revenue is
Bs. 1,456. There is one hamlet. The driginal zamindara were
Bais Thakurs, who were noted ^oits and were sold up in 1840|
Mainpuri District
244
their rights being purchased by iheChauhans of Bhadai, Chirawar,
and Arjunpur.
NAUNER, Pargma and TahaU Mainpuri.
This large village, in 27® 15' N. and 78® 68' E., lies eight miles
to the west of Mainpuri, a little removed from the ^gra branch
of the Grand Trunk Road and situated on a high Jchera or mound.
It comprises two mahala covering an area of 10,117 acres, of
which 3,902 acres are under cultivation, assessed at Rs. 10,860,
The population in 1901 numbered 6,020, of whom 304 were
zamindara, 3,397 cultivators and 297 labourers. There are no
less than 42 hamlets. Chauhan Thakurs and Brahmans form the
bulk of the population. Naunor is noted for its large number of
wells and tanks said to have been constructed by one Bhola, an
Ahir, who is said to have owned the village some two centuries
ago. His praises are still celebrated in rural songs by the Ghosi
Ahirs of this and neighbouring villages. Nauner afterwards
passed into the hands of the Chaubans, from whom it was acquired
by its present owners, the Raja of Awa in the Etah district and
the Thakur of Kotla. The village contains a school for boys
and another for girls. The garhi or fort which is now occupied
by Brahmans is said to have been built by Almaj^Ali Khan, the
governor under the Nawab Wazir of Oudh. - -
ORAWAR HASHT TARAF, Pargana and Taha^l Shikohabad.
This big village, in 26® 58' N. and 78® 44' E., is situated
among the ravines on the left bank of ihe Jamna river. Its area
is 6,896 acres, and its population in 1901 was 4,265. It is a
pattidari village, consisting of 21 hamlets, and pays a revenue
of Rs. 6,550. The zamindara are Ahirs and Brahmans, one of
the most important being Panchi Lal^ a retired aubadar. The
inhabitants, who are almost all cultivators, are Ahirs, Brahmans
and Chamars. There are two vernacular primary schools in the
village, which has a certain amount of trade in grain and ghi*
The village also contains a temple of Kali Devi, where a reli«
gious fair is held every year in the month of ChaU, The
principal feature of the village is the hhagna, a very fertile
silted bed of the Jumna which has been4escribed in chapter L ;
Parham or Fadham.
245
PAINDHAT, Pargana and Tahail Mustafabad.
This village, in 27® 21' N. and 78® 39' E., lies 29 miles west
of Mainpuri and nine miles north-west of Jasrana. Its population
in 1901 numbered 2,423 persons, of whom 76 were zamindara,
1,244 cultivators and 610 labourers. Classified according to
religion there were 2,141 Hindus, 219 Musalmans and 63 others.
The village consists of 23 mahals, with nine hamlets covering a total
area of 2,976 acres, of which 1,431 acres are under cultivation,
more than half the cultivated area being irrigated. The zamtn^
dard are Ahirs aud Marwaris, who pay Rs. 3,760 as land revenue.
Unimportant in itself, Paiudhat is famous for the large gather-
ings which meet at the shrine of Jokliaiya in Magh and Aaarh,
There is no fixed day, but the Sundays in the latter fortnights
of those months called jat are chosen. The story runs that
during the war between Prithiraj and Jaichand of Kanauj an
Ahir was bringing home his wife, and with him were a Brahman
and a low-caste man, a Bhangi or a Dhunuk The three men
joined in the fight and wore killed, the Bhangi first and the
other two at some distance from him. Even when dead, how-
ever, their headless trunks (rv,nd) continued the fight. The
Bhangi became a ghost {phut), as is so often the unpleasant
habit oi men, under the name of Jokhaiya, and the
place where^nefell is called Jokhaiya to this day. Droves of
pigs are grazed here, and part of the ritual at the great gather-
ings is to have one of them killed and to allow its blood to flow
on the spot where the Bhangi fell. At the other spot in the
village, where the Brahman and the Ahir were killed, there is
a temple, where cocoanuts and the like are offered. People come in
thousands from the surrounding districts, even from Farrukhabad,
on the opposite side of the district, to pay their devotions here.
The great object of the journey is to obtain offspring and have
an easy childbirth. The mela is said to also have a good influence
on the mahawat or winter rains. The offerings made at the
temple belong to the zamindara.
PAKHAM OB PADHAM, Pargana and Tahail Mustafabao.
This village, in 27® 20' N. and 78® 46' E., is situated on the
Ughroad to Etah near the Arind river, at a distance of 28 miles
246 M<Unpwri Distrid,
from Mainpnri and 18 miles from Shikohabad. It consists of
one makal, covering a total area of 5,361 acres, of which 3,367
are under cultivation, while more than three-quarters of the '
cultivated area is irrigated. The land revenue is^Es. 10,300.
Mauza Parham includes ma<u,»a Milak distributed khithnt through^
out its area, and contains also within its boundaries
Bahlolpur. There are 27 hamlets. The population in 1901 was
6,614, made up of 3,480 males and 3,034 females; Classiliod
according to religions there wore 5,356 Hindus, 964 Husalmaus
and 194 others. The village contains a vernacular school, a
post-office and a bazar, and a market is held in it twice a week.
The zamindara are Thakurs and Musalmans, and w^ore, until
recent times, entirely Musalmans. The place, however, has an
old history. It is said to have been calk'd Bardan before the time ^
of Raja Parikshit, who changed its name to Parichhatgarh or
Parham. When he died of a snake-bite, his son Janamejaya
made a great sacrifice on the banks of the A rind. The sacrifi-
cial pit was excavated many years ago, and cocoanuts, cloves
and betel-nuts used in Hindu worship were found buried in it.
Popular belief declares that in this neighbourhood snakes are
still harmless in consequence of the virtues of that sacrifice.
The story connecting Parham Avith Janamejaya^s sacrifice is,
however, looked upon with qualified respect even among the
Hindus of the place and is contrary to the more generally
received tradition. There is a masonry tank at this place, said
to have been built by Janamejaya to mark the site of the
sacrificial pit, which is still known as Parikshit Kund. The
khera close to the village is a very large and high one,
the most conspicuous in the district, and there are on it the
ruins of a fort, some stone sculptures, and a well called after
Parikshit.
PABIAR, fargana zMTOfhail Shikohabad.
This village, in 26^ 56^ N. 'And 78^ 45^ £., lies among the
ravines about a mile from the Jamna and five miles from
Bhadan railw'ay station. It had in 1901 a popiijlation of 2,667
persons, and its area is 6,010 acres. There are 11 handets. It
is A very complicated 'paUidaH village pajl^g Bs. 3,930 in laml
rnarAa or raari&a.
reyoDUQ. TKe zaminda/rs, who are co-sharers with mostly minute
shares, 4r0 continually (quarrelling in the courts and out of them*
There are 11 hamlets attached to the parent village, which con-
tains a school. Mauza Saruppur Shamlat is partly contained
in maucae Pariar,! Chhidaoli, Ruriaaud Papri. There is an old
loop of the ilamna (described in chapter I) in this village, now
silted up, pf the same nature as the hhagna of Orawar, but
less valuable than the latter.
PATARA, Pargxna and Tahsil Earhal.
This village, in 27® 5' N. and 79® 9' E., is situated 8 miles
to the north-east of Karhal, and had in 1901 a population of
1,075 qjersona distributed over eight sites. It covers an area
of 5,121 acres, assessed at Rs. 6,120. The village is owned by
Bansi Dhar and Ganga Parshad, Banias, of Cawnpore, and the
cultivators are mostly Thakurs and Ahirs. There are two
market-days every week, and once a year a fair, known as
Barnath, is held in the village and attended by shopkeepers
from Mainpuri and Etawah. Both the fair and a well in the
village are named after a Bairagi of great repute for sanctity
who once lived here. He is now worshipped, and the offerings
made by devout persons are appropriated by the present Bairagi
of the name of Ram Das who acts os priest.
PHARENJI, Parg%m Kishnti, Tahail Bhokgaon.
This village, in 26® 59' N. and 79® 17' E,, lies a little to the
west of the Etawah-Farrukhabad road three miles from Eishni.
In 1901 it had a population of 2,066, consisting mainly of Brah-
mans, Ahirs, Thakurs, and Kachhis. Therd are six subsidiary
hamlets. There is only one mahal owned by the Baja of Main-
^ puri. . There is a village school, and a large jhil to the south of .
the site drains into th^^'^greAt Sirsainawar jhU in £he Etawah
^strict. ' -
< PHABHA or PUABIHA, Pargam, and Tahiil
'' MOSTlVABAD.
Ikis village, in 27* 20' N., and 78* 82' E., liM on the western
bordef ' of the d^ot abont^ miles from Mainpuri and ^
2$8 Mainpiri District.
eight miles from Mustafabad. It is the only town in the
district, with the exception of Sirsaganj, which has any con-
siderable external trade, but is not otherwise important. Its
population in 1901 numbered 2,885 persons, of whom 1,642
were males and 1,243 females. Classified according to
occupation there were 52 zaminfldr 8,1 d(j cultivators, 689 traders,
107 artisans and 239 labourers, and classified according to
religion there were 1,855 Hindus, G72 Miisalmans and 368
others. The village consists of one mahal with 11 hamlets
covering an area of 1,578 acres, of which 995 acres are under
cultivation. Nearly three-quarters of the cultivated area are
provided with irrigation. The cammrfarsare JadonThakurs,
who pay Rs. 3,400 as revenue. I he village possesses a police
outpost, a post-office, a school and a bazar, and a market is held
in it twice a week where grain, ghi, sugar, cotton, and other
country produce are sold. A fair is also hold here every year.
The village is administered under Act XX of 1866, llio cost
being defrayed from a house-lax levied on 414 of the 1,041
^Sbuses in the place. Kunwar Kushalpal Singh of Kotla
has started a model farm here which has been very successful
so far. A second-class road, which it is proposed to metal,
connects the town w-ith Mustafabad ; it is also proposed
to continue the metalled road to Kotla in the Agra
district.
t
PUNDRI, Pargana and Tahsil Bhongaon*
TCis village, in 27® 8' N. and 79® 13' E., lies 11 miles to the
east of Mainpuri and tw'o miles to the north of the CWnpore
Canal. In 1901 its population was 2,874, consisting mainly
of Thakurs and Kachhis, distributed over 14 hamlets in addition
to the main site. There is one mahal assessed at Rs. 3,150 4nd
owned by the family of Kunwar Kushalpal Singh.
BAFRI, Pargma and Tahsil ShikohabaJ). '
This village, in 26® 59' N. and 78® 32^ E., li^B among the
ravines on the left bank of the JamnO, about 44 miles from
Mainpuri east of the Shikohabad^tiaar road. It is noiir' a
small and unimportant vUlage with^jFdpuktion^uf ^ly 9^
Sahan. '
249
thotigh both its history and the numerons ruins of buildingSi
mosques, tombs, wells and reservoirs, attest its former greatness,
Ldfi^al tradition ascribes its foui^^ioi^ to one Kao Zornwar Sen,
also known as Kapar Sen, \v|(^ descendant fell in battle with
Muhammad Sam, in 1194. vijie ghat across the Jamna to Bate-
sar is known as Narangi Bah, and is said to derive its name
from Naurangi, the daughter of Kapar Sen, fpr whoso pleasure
a garden was planted there. In course of/ume the name was
corrupted to Narmigi^ an orange tre 0 .v^''here are now no traces
of the garden, but tradition places it near Papardanda, otherwise
known as Beh&v-GhaL The general history of Kapri, and the
important Ala-ud-din Khilji inscription, have been noticed in the
history of the district. Many of the buildings were erected by
Sher Shah and Salim Shah, and traces of the gate leading to one
of the royal residences still exist. Besides the idgik, built in 1312,
the dargah of Shah Kidu, a celebrated saint, is of considerable
importance, attracting large numbers of the devout, who attend
a yearly icrs at his shrine. Ho is said to have been a worshipper
of the one God, irrespective of creed, and many miracles attest^
his power. From its position on the road to Batesar, where the
great fair is held every year in Kartik, Kapri must always have
been an impoiiiant place. It is now connected by good fair-
weather roads with the railway station of Kaurara and the
town of Sirsaganj, and also with the village of Nasirpur,
whence a metalled road runs to Shikohabad. The latter is the
main route of pilgrims to the Batesar fair, and will be metalled
shortly as far as th)^ river crossing, whore a pontoon bridge is
maintained by the Agra district board during the dry season.
Near the site of the bridge is a small hamlet now inhabited
by Mallahs, Dhobis and Bhaugis, and formerly owned by Brah-
mins, who emigrated thence to Karhal. Not far from the bridge,
near the haxplet of Parauli, is a temple built by Bhagwant Singh
oit tht site df a buming-^^. There are in all four hamlets.
A outpost odmmands the rive; crossing.
.1
j > SAQ^N, 2ViAn{ Eabhal.
•■■t Hus and 78° 5' E,, lies about 10 miles
to tb6 ^sott{& of north of and close to the Gaiy;si
260
Jllainpuri District.
distributary. Its popiilatioa was 2,186 in 1901 and its
area at tho recent ’settlement 4,315 acres. The village is
divided into 10 mahalSf assessed at Rs. 3,426, and is owned liy
tho Raja of Mainpuri and some local Thakurs. There are 10
hamlets. The cultivators are mostly Thakurs and Ahirs who
have acquired occupancy rights. The village possesses a /laiga-
bandi school, and is every year tho scene of a local fair in tho
middle of tho month of Baisakh. The village is proposed as the
new headquarters of tho Kurra police circle, as tho police
station there is a wretched building and not in a central
position.
SAHARA, Farg'twjb and Talml RnoNGAON.
This largo village, in 27® 23' N. and 79® 13' E., lies some
10 miles to the west of Bhongaon. Its population in 1901 was
2,868 distributed over 12 sites and its area at the settlement
was 2,899 acres. The village lands are held in pattidari tenure,
paying a revenue of Rs. 3,510. Most of the area is held by the
proprietors as sir or by occupancy tenants. A canal minor
flows through the village lands, providing the means of irriga-
tion. There is a school in the village.
SAMAN, IWg^na Kisiini, Taksil Bhongaon.
This huge village, in 27® 2' N. and 79® 14' E., comprising
17 hamlets, lies some 20 miles to the south of Bhougoan at the
junction of the Kishni-Sirsaganj, and Maiupuri-Samau uumetal-
led roads, aiid had in 1901 a population of 5,536. It is owned
by a resident Thakur of tho name of Kunwar Bhagwan Singh, who
is an honorary magistrate and village munsif, and the cultivators
are mostly occupancy tenants. The big Gangsi distributary
runs along the whole length of the village, which is thus excel-
lently provided with means of irrigation, and contains a canal
bungalow. There are a number of shops hero and a school,
while markets are held twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays.
There is a large Jhil to the west of the inhabited site. Saman
with rfiauza Basait once formed part of the Kishni talvqa, but
was separated from it at the third settlement. There are village
banks at Saman and Basait. >
SUkoli'sbad.'
261
SAUfT, Pargma and Tahsil Kahhal.
This village, iu 27® 2' N. and 70® 12' E., is situated on the
lushui-Karhal road 24 miles from Maiiipuri and 13 miles from
Karhal. In 1901 it had a population of 2,797 persons, while its
area at the last sattloinout was 5,012 acres assessed at Rs. 4,700
land revenue. The zamindara are Chaubo Ilrahmans of
^lainpuri and Tliakurs of Jagannathpur in Etawah, and the
cultivators are mostly occupancy tenants. Tlicrc is a halqaharfdi
school in tlie village, which is an old oiie; containing on its Jchera
the remains of an ancient fortress. In the early days of Rritish
rule Sauj was the chief town of a pargana of the same name,
but the pargana wa.3 dismembered in 1840, 25 of its villages
being transferred to Afainpuri and 17 to Karhal. The village is
large and straggling, containing 26 hamlets. There is a large
jhil close by the main site.
SHIKOHABAD, Pargma and 'PaJml Spiikohabad.
This town, in 27® V N. and 78® 40' E., is situated on the
Agra-Maiiipuri road about two miles from the railway station of
the same name and 30 miles from Alaiiipuri cdty. It is connect*
ed by metalled roads with Alainpuri, Agra, Etah and Sirsaganj,
and with Etawah by a road which is not metalled beyond
Sirsaganj ; also with Batesar by a road metalled as far as Nasir-
pur. The town lies to the east and soutli of the road, but' the
principal bazar lines the road itself, and there are a number of
■aaraia scattered about the site. The old town is a straggling
place, divided into quarters by crooked lanes and inconvenient
roads. The principal bazar is irregular iu shape and filled, like
the whole of the old town, with ruinous houses. It is only beyond
it, in the now quarter and the new bazar, that good houses and
shops are to be seen. Beyond the new market is the mound on
which the fort formerly stood, which is now covered with houses
of the better sort. The water of the wells in the new quarter is
sweet and good, but in the old town it is often brackish and
undrinkable.^ The want of good drainage is the great defect in
the site of Shikohabad, for, except the fort mound, there is no
rising ground, aud the whole neighbourhood is remarkably level.
To remedv this Snllan Ali Khan caused a tank to be excavated *
Main^pf^ri Diitrid,
littlo way to the uorth of the site which is still capable of receiving
the drainage on that side, while the surplus water from the south
might be led into the Sirsa Nadi which flows close to the town on
the southern side.
In 1901 the population of the town was 11,139, Hindus
being to Musalmans in the proportion of three to two. The lauds
belonging to the town are assessed at Bs. 1,780 for purposes
of land revenue. The town is administered as a notified area.
A force of one head constable and 18 constables is entertained
and paid for from provincial funds. The main heads of
expenditure are conservancy and lighting (Rs. 2,000) and public
'works (Rs. 1,400). The expenditure is met mainly by a house-tax,
which in 1908 yielded Rs. 2,590, sale of manure, slaughter-house
fees and other sources. The number of houses in the town is
3,220, of which 1,504 arc assessed to house-tax. There are 14
muhaUaa or wards in the town. The Musalmans reside princip-
ally in the northern and eastern muhallaa^ and the Hindus in
the southern and western, but there arc also points where the
population is mixed. MuhaUa Katra Miran was founded by
Sultan All Khan of tlie Naushahra family already mentioned,
and Katra Muhammad Mah by a Saiyid follower of Dara Shikoh,
while Katra Mir Khalil is named after a Saiyid landholder who
fell in .^me local disturbance and whose tomb is visited on
holidayias that of a martyr. Qazi Tola was founded by Qazi
Asad Ali of the family of Qazi Shaikh Muhammad Jalil, who
obtained that office in the reign of Aurangzeb. Muhalla Khat-
triana is inhabited by Khattris and is the richest ward of the
town, the houses being built of brick and adorned with a good
deal of stone ornamentation. Phulapurena is occupied chiefly
by Banias, Brahmans and Kayasths, and Rukinpur is inhabited
mostly by Pathans, Shaikhs and other Musalmans. MuhaUa
Khera forms the oldest part of the town, somewhat detached
from the modern part. It is marked by an old fort, once the
residence of Saiyid Sultan Ali Khan, and subsequently used as
a tahsil but now unoccupied. The other important muhaiUoB
are Misrana, Garhiya, Chah Rabat and the old bazars.
The town was formerly a great emporium for cotton, but the
! tfade has declined for some time past, though it hiay be hoped that
Shikohabad.
253
the three ginning factories set up recently in Iho town will do
something to restore it to its old importance. A good deal of
business is done in and gram as well as in cotton. The fact
that Shikohabad has now become an important junction should be
a great stimulus to its trade. The tahsil building stands at the
junction of the railway station road and the Grand Trunk Hoad
adjoining the police station, and near it are the post-office,
dispensary, civil court and town school. There is also a well-
attended girls’ school in the town. 'J'he Etawah branch canal
flows close by Shikohabad, and a fine garden has been laid out
beside it by Lala Pati Kam. Travellers are accommodated in
a dak bungalow and inspection house, and there is also a large
sarai.
The site now occupied by the town is said to have been
colonised by a Musalmaii emigrant from llapri named Muham-
mad, who gave it the name of Muhammadabad, by which it is
known even now. This was changed to Shikohabad in honour
of Dara Shikoh when Badr-us-Salam was governor. Under the
Marathas the governor was Mura Pandit, who built the
fort to the north of the town. One of the fino towers, in
which there is the dargah of Kadir All Shahid, still remains.
To the west of the town the Muragauj bazar still commemorates
the name of the Maratha amil. It was here that the transit
duties were collected on goods crossing the Jamna, and a 9 aydr
chabutra, or excise post, was maintained until abolished by the
British. Shikohabad fell successively under the Marathas, Jats,
Rohillas, the Marathas again, Himmat Goshain and the Oudh
Nawab. Almas Ali Khan was governor on behalf of the Nawab
up to the time of the British occupation, Sewa Bam being amil
under him and Pharha Mai diwan. The British obtained pos-
session in 1801 and established a cantonment here to the south-west
of the town near the Sirsa, where the graves of Europeans are
still to be seen. It was here that a Maratha force under Fleury
in 1802 surprised the British detachment, after which the canton-
ments were removed to Mainpuri.
Amongst the notable men connected with Shikohabad men-
tion may be made of Nawab Mahtab Khan, who rose 'from the rank
of a common soldier to high distinction. Two members of j|i|i
254
Mainputri District*
family, Muhammad Ramzan Khan and Muhammad Taj Khan,
were pensioners of tho British Govcrnmciiit after the acquisition
of the Mainpuri district. The Qanuiigo family of Kanji Mai, .
hereditary Qanungo of pargaiia Rapri imdor the Miighals, is
still of some importance and influence in the town, BaLu Sri .
Naraiii of Madanpur being its present head. One ^lokaud Misi*’
a Kanaujia Brahman, built a temple on the borders of Chah
Rahat and Qa/i Tola muhaUas aljont tho middle of the 17th
century, and annually on the second day of a religious fair
takes place at his tomb. He is said to have been buried alive
with his dog in the grave which he dug for himself in the garden
where his tomb now exists. Among tho Agarwal Banias, Suraj
Sahai was a person of some conscqucuce, and among tho Khat-
tris, Diwan Ramji and Diwaii Khushal Rai came here from
Delhi and attained to some distinction under the IVTusalman
governors. Their descendants still reside in the town. Some
of tiie Kayasths were dnvan^ under the Marathas^nd possess a
few villages as landholders or are employed under the Govern-
ment.
At Nagla Brindaban there is a temple to Mahadeo, a chatri
and a hiarantf under tho care of a Bairagi colony from yery
ancient times. The place was formerly covered with jungle
aud was the abode of an ascetic, near whose residence some
Baja built a temple. The Bairagis then occupied the place
and one of their number named Mangla built the biarant on the
Aganga. The name of that stream is explained on this wise:
Mangla was a great saint and worker of miracles, and at the
time of the great bathing fair of Kartik was unable or unwilling
to go to the sacred stream of the Ganges to perform his ablu«
tions there. His ckfiH or disciple was much affected at this
and remonstrated with Mangla, who merely said Ao Oangc.
"(come Ganges), whereupon a stream at once burst out beneath
his feet and has ever since borne the name oi Aoganga or
Aganga. The banks of this stream are a favourite place' for
burning the dead, and though in reality only a small drainage
line which dries up immediately after the rains, local legend
asserts that it sinks into the ground and joins the Gauges near '
• Kanauj. One hundred bighoB of land are held rent-frei^
S&ikoliabad TahM and Pargam,
266
Chitaoli village to support this shrine, which is surrounded by
numerous tombs of former heads of Iho Bairngi community, and
on Hindu holidays, especially the Dasahra^ considorable crowds
assemble to offer their devotions before the sliriiie of ]\Iangla. To
.the west of the town, about half a mile away, is tha tahia of Billi-
chor, so called from a ftqir whoso cat was killed hero by a
Mewati robber from Khairgarh, who suffered for his impiety.
To the north-west is the site of i\\v. mud fort, built by one Saiyid
AH Asghar, and to the west, near muhalUt Muhammad Mah, is
the idg%h. To tlio south of the town and about a mile distant
is the garden of a pious jMali named Toriya, where a fair is held
and an imago of Mahadco is placed on a temporary platform and
worshipped. A temple dedicated to Panch-mukhi Mahadeo
exists to the north, near the bastion of the old fort which contains
the tomb of Kadir Ali Shahid. Other temples are that to Eadha
Ballabh in the Chah Rabat quarter; to Murli Manohar on the
south ; to Baldeoji in the great bazar ; and to Rama in the mandi.
There are also two sang its of Nanak Panthi faqira whose
cemetery lies to the south of the town. Close to Qazi Tola is a
fine garden and building erected by Thakiir Bhagwant Singh,
who possessed great influence in the town during the eighteenth
century. To the south of the town, again, is the shrine of Jasan
Doota, at which offerings of chapatis and khir^ arc made when
cattle bring forth their young.
SHIKOHABAD Tahsil and Parg^na. '
Tahsil and pargaiia Shikohabad occupies the south-western
dofner of the district. On the south and west it is bounded by
the Agra district, with the river Jarana as the dividing line on
the south; on the north by Mustafabad atid Ghiror; on the east
by pargana Barnahal, with the Etawah district at the south-east
corner. Its total area is 183,416 acres, or 294*4 square miles/'
and it contains 297 mauzaa with 595 makals and 685 inhabited
sites.
The pargana is well provided with natural dminage, the*
Sengar mnning through tho northern portion, the Sirsa through
the centre, and the Jamna along the south, while the tract
the Sengar and firsa is served by the Aga&ga»
25C
Ma inpi(, ri D ist r i ci.
latter is, however, a small and sluggish stream with a scarcely
defined bed, and its drainage is not, therefore, very effective in
wet seasons. The pargana lies partly in the central dmiat tract,
but the bulk of it falls within the light loam or hhur tract. Five
fairly distinct stretches of country are recognizable. The first
comprises 20 villages along the Sengar and consists chiefly of
loam and usar, though a high ridge of sand runs through the
centre along the left bank with light loam in the neighbourhood.
This tract has a good deal of stable canal irrigation. The
second is a continuation of the main portion of Mustafabad,
which it closely resembles, though it has more good jhils, A
few villages on the border have the haisuri weed. The third
tract extends along the Sirsa river and, with the exception of the
big hhur spur crossing it to the cast, comprises all the villages,
lying one or two deep, on either side of that stream, from the
town of Shikohabad to Ukhrend. The soil is the finest light loam
or pira, more friable and easily worked than dumat, and capable
of producing all kinds of crops to perfection. There is no usar
andnearly the whble area is cultivated, while there is ample irriga-
tion both from wells and the canal, and the cultivators are
largely of the best classes. The only drawback is that since the
opening of the Bhognipur Canal a good many villages of this
tract are apt to get too much water and to suffer from actual
waterlogging occasionally and from over-dampness and chilli-
ness of the soil more or less always. Some of them have deteri-
orated, apparently for this reason. The fourth tract comprises
the remaining villages of the pargana other than those inter-
sected by the ravines of the Jamna or lying along that river. The
predominant eleihent here is sand, and though in places there
is a good deal of light pira of productive quality, the soil is
generally very thin, degenerating at times into miserable rolling
sand of the poorest description. Irrigation is usually difficult and
instlffioient and the less industrious and skilful castes, such as
Ahirs, prevail among the cultivators. The tract is therefore
comparatively a poor and precarious one, though it has improved
in places where the Bhognipur Canal water now reaches. The
fifth tract takes in the villages along the Jumna and its ravines,
lir is locally called the hMiihoi and is unique in the district. An
Shikoh^bad Tahsil and Targana, 257
ordinary typical village has three portions^ first, the portion to
the north, lying still on the plateau level of the rest of the
pargana. This is called the u^mrliar^ a term which explains
itself. From this a series of extensive, intricate and deep
ravines, alternating with high spurs and ridges, clothed usually
with low trees, scrub and coarse vegetation, but often bare,
begins to radiate downwards and continue to the Jamna. This
is the second portion of the typical ravine village, locally known
as hekar. It generally occupies the greater part of the whole
village area. Between the ravines, however, and the Jamna, at
the foot of the high cliffs, there is frequently a shelf, or series of
shelves of lowlying arable land, called kachkar in the case of the
upper ledges, while the lowest ledge of all, a strip of moist soil
along the water^s edge, boars the special name of tir. Cultivation
is practically confined to the uparhar and kachhaTf though
patches of arable soil occur in the hehar, and are called danda
when found at the top of the ravines, and piori when at the foot.
The uparhav soil is similar to that of the neighbouring portions
of the fourth tract, but irrigation is usually difficult and scanty.
The soil in the fcachhar varies. When it is beyond the reach
of the river floods it deteriorates, but on the whole it is fairly
fertile. The tir is rich when available.
The Jamna has here a very contorted course, though it has
not changed its bed to any appreciable extent within recent
times. But in throe villages of this tract there is, in addition to
the typical soils already described, another locally known as
bhagm, occurring along what is undoubtedly an old bod of the
Jamna. It is rich and moist and, though wells are sometimes ’
dug, can produce good double-crops year after year without any
artificial application of water. The village sites in this tract are
usually perched on the top of high cliffs and look like mountain
fastnesses, which indeed in the turbulent past they seem to have
been.
The cultivated area of the tahsil is now 126,146 acres as
compared with 128,945 at the previous settlement. Of this
95,805 acres are irrigable, an increase of 13,732 acres in the 30
years, chiefly due to the new Bhognipur Canal, which has sup-
planted well irrigation over a considerable area. The irrigated ^
USB Mm^ri
(krea in ft UQrmftl year ia 46 per cent, of the totalcuUivated area^
,tbe third lowest in the district, but in the JcarWia the percent-
age is of course considerably below that of any other tract. But
though there has been a great falling off in the number of earthen
wells, maso nry wells have multiplied. The culiurable area (waste
and fallow) is 11,654 acres and the non-culturable 49,262 acres,
while 2;364 acres are planted with groves^ The principal crops
grqwn in the rahi are wheat, barley and gram, alone and in
combination, and a considerable area is now under poppy, a new
development. In the kharif the chief crops are hajra, jmr and
cotton, grown alone or in combination with arhar and maise,
Ahirs are largely predominant among the cultivators, but
there are also large numbers of Thakurs, including Kirars, and
of Brahmans, and a good sprinkling of Kachhis, Lodhas and
Cbamars, The tahsil has therefore among its great diversity of
tenants a fair proportion of the better cultivating castes.
Occupancy tenants hold 57 per cent, of the total holdings area,
rather less than in other parganas, but here as elsewhere the
average size of the holdings has diminished. The average
incidence per acre of occupancy rentals is Rs. 4*36 and of non-
occupancy rentals Rs. 5*15, the increase since the last settlement
being 16*58 per cent, for the former and 47*14 per cent, for the
latter. The rent rates vary from Rs. 11-9-0 for the best quality
of irrigated gmhan to Re. l>4-0 for the worst soils in the ravines.
The revenue demand is now Rs. 2,81,056. All kinds of
tenures exist from single zamiridari to the several forms of
communal proprietorship, the hhaiya^hara form being found
mostly among the Ahir communities owning the Jamna villages
in 17 mahalB of 10,641 acres. Though single zemindari has more
than doubled since last settlement, 62*5 per cent, of the tahsil is still
held by co-parcenary communities, mostly imperfect and
consisting mainly of Ahirs and Thakurs, who are in the majority
of cases petty peasant proprietors, often hardly as well off as
their tenants, A striking exception to this statement is the Ahir
community of Bharaul, in the north of the pargana^ whose heads
is Chaudhri Sarnam Singh. This body now owns 17 villagse
in this district in whole or in part. A portion ol their proper^
was received in re^d for loyal service in the hlntiuyi wbHt
Shikohated TaknH and Pargam. J^59
they led the oombination which repelled the rebel Baja, of
Mainpuri from his attack on Shikohabad. Ahirs head the liat
of the landholding castes with 52J00 acres^ Thakurs coming
next with 46^05 acres, of which more than half belongs to Kuank
Brahmans own 33,033 acres, Kayasths 14,291, Miisalmans 6,468>
and the money-lending castes. Ban las, Mahajans and Khattris,
hold 22,663 acre.?. These latter have been steadily extending
their possessions during the last 30 years at the expense of the
old hereditary castes.
Of the leading landholders Thakur Laik Singh, a Eirar, is
perhaps the largest, owning Muhammadpur Labhaua, where he
resides, and a number of other villages which are well managed.
The Raja of Bhadawar in the Agra district owns the two hachhar
villages of Bhartar and Kalianpur Muafi on the Jamna, opposite
Batesar, free of revenue. The Kayasths, the descendants of the
old Qanungos, are represented by two branches, one of Madanpur
and the other of Shikohabad. The former^ with Lala Madho
Narain as its head, owns, besides Madanpur, a number of
lucrative villages and shares in Shikohabad. To the latter
belong Mohnipur, Durgapur-Mohnipur, Nagla Umar and
Lakhanpur. The Khattris, represented by Sompat Rai and
Batesar Nath of Shikohabad, own now Aswa, Muhammadpur
Sarai, Jawai, Shahpur and shares in other villages in this tahsil
and in Mustafabad. The principal Brahman proprietors arc
those of Bhadesra, who also own Qamarpur, Baijua, Ubti and
other villages. The Musalman landowners are the Saiyids of
Shikohabad and Sarai Bhartara.
At the census of 1901 the population of the tahsil was
157,669, an increase of 12*76 per cent, over the figures for 1891,
but 9*84 per cent, only over those for 1872, the tahsil having
suffered like most other parts of the district from the wet seasons
of 1881—1891. The density is 637 to the square mile of total
area and 808 to the square mile of cultivation. The population
is overwhelmingly Hindu, there being, only 11,769 Musalmans,
chiefly to be found in. Rapri and Shikohabad, and 1,310
representatives of other religions. Among tjie Hindu castes Ahirs
vastly preponderate, ^with 33,903 members^ Chamars coming neipt
with 20,692^ and yter them Rajputs with 14i318, Brahmana
260
Mainfuri District.
mimberod 15,714, and no other caste had a membership of over
10,000, the most miraeroiis being Lodhas, 7,151; Gadariyas,
5,172; Banias and Mahajana, 4,725 and Kahars; 2,996. The
tahsil contained 2,364 representatives of that somewhat rare caste,
tlio Kadheras, who are a subdivision of the Mallahs. They are
all collected in the Jamna villages, where they have settled down
as cultivators. Practically all the Kirars are also to be found
in this tahsil, though -as they were not recorded as a separate
caste at this census, no figures are available. They are much
better cultivators than most Eajputs.
The tahsil contains two towns : Shikohabad a notified area,
and Sirsagaiij an Act XX town, with populations of 11,139 and
6,043, respectively. These arc two of the few marts in the 'district
which have any external trade. The former contains the head-
quarters of the tahsil and besides some local trade in cloth and
cotton exports a certain amount of grain, while at the latter an
important cattle-market is held twice a week, and sugar, grain
and cotton are collected for export. Factories for ginning and
pressing cotton have recently been established in each town,
Naushahra, to the east of Shikohabad, manufactures iron vessels
and shoes, and Urmara Kirar, close by, turna.out glass bangles
in largo quantities. With these exceptions the tahsil is a purely
rural tract with no other industries than agriculture, and though
there are 39 villages with populations of over 1,000, one,
the enormous ravine village Orawar Hasht Taraf, having 4,26f
inhabitants, there is none that has any claim to bo called a town.
The tahsil is on tho whole well provided with c(nnmumoa<
tions. The main line of the East Indian Railway runs througl
it from east to west with four stations within its borders, at
Bhadan, Kaurara^ Shikohabad a|d j|^akhanpur. Of these
Shikohabad is the most important,, biing the junction for the
new line to Mainpuri and Farmkhabad. Besides the . railway
there is a first>class metalled road connecting Shikohabad witl
Mainpuri, 30 miles away, and another leads to Agra city, 88
miles off. Other good metalled jroads run to Jasrana and Etawah,
to Sirsaganj, and towards the Jamna, the latter boing metalled
only as far as NasirpiUr 10 miles away and giving aCOess
famous Batesar faif« There are also several good uSietalled
Sirsaganj.
261
roads ; one from Sikohabad to Mustafabad^ and five radiating
ont from Sirsaganj to Etawah, Karhal^ Mainpuri, Araou and
Nasirpur on the Batesar road. Shikohabad formed^ in Musalmau
times, part of the old pargaiui of Eapri, from which it was
separated in 1824, since when four villages have been added to
it from Mustafabad and 34 from the old pargana of Dehli-Jakhaii.
Its history will be found in the descriptions, of Shikohabad and
Rapri. The tahsil is in charge of a subdi visional officer stationed
at Mainpuri, and magisterial ]iowers are also exercised by the
tahsildar. There are police stations at Sirsaganj and Shikohabad,
and part of the Ghiror police circle, also, falls within the tahsil
boundaiies.
SIRSAGANJ, Pargarut and TahsU Shikohabad.
This small town, in 27® 3' N. and 78® 46' E., lies on the
Shikohabad-Etawah road 29 miles from the latter and six miles
from the former, north of the East Indian Railway station of
Kaurara, with which it is connected by a metalled road four miles
in length. The town lies in two revenne villages, Sirsa and
Bayaganj, and its name, a eominon ^e, is traceable no doubt
to the same origin as that of the Sii^syriver which flows a short
distance past the south of the town.>^rhe population is 6,043, the
principal castes being Banias, Mahajaus, Kirar Thakurs,
Chamars, ^acbhis and Musalmaiis. The town is administered
iindel^ Act XX and has a police force of one jamadar and nine
chankidafs, together with a staff of sweepers for sanitary
purposes. The total inedke of the town in 1908 was Rs. 1,724,
Rs. 1,200 being derived from a house-ta;^ and Ks^\^521 from the
sale of refuse. The tov^ 4kiofly as « trade-centre,
lying as ^t does at the tertiuiiia of no less than six roads coming
into it from all diaectious. The Etawah road runs through the
town and is its main thoroughfare^ The market-place, Raikes-
ganj, a Government prpperty, \vad< eempleted by Mr, Raikes, the
^ coUeotor of Mainpuri, in 1852, and is a fine open square to the
south of the Btawah road, the shops, on oaoh side being the pro-
pellir of tile traders. A market is held here every AVednesday
and Ihitfsday, the chief commodities besi^e^eorn being phi and
cotton. In 1869 the bazar was threuiten^.by a rival market,
262 Mainpv/fi IHiiiiet.
■ ^ — T ' V "7"
Mohangaaj, beloaging to the eomincfore/aud Ae collector issued
stringent regulations limiting the brokers! fees, which threatenedf .
to become so exorbitant as to drive the traders to Mobahganj.
This action was sufficient to prevent Mohanganj becoming
established| and Baikesganj is the only market-place at the
present day. A committee of traders agreed to maintain the
bazar and its gates in a proper state of repairs and cleanliness.
The main street is lined with shops, and though narrow is well
kept and drained. Most of the traders are Jains and several
Jain temples exist in the town. At the southern end of the town
is a very handsome little mosque covered with flor^ designs
picked .out in red against its whitened surface. There are two
cotton ginning factories at the western entrance of the town,
as well as a police station, post-office and town school.
UBEB AB, Pargoma and TaheU Mustafabxp.
This village is comprised in the revenue mauzas of Uresar
Gajadhar Singh, Uresar Samam Singh and Uresar Budar Singh.
It lies in 27^ 27' N. and 78^ 41' E., about 28 miles to the west of
Mainpuri. Its population in 1901 numbered 4,055, of whom 2,057
were males and 1,998 females. Classified according to religions
there were 3,722 Hindus, 188 Musalmans and 95 others. The
tamindara are Chauhan Thakurs of the Partabnair stock and
the eponymous Gajadhar Singh was an honorary magistrate.
The total area of the village is 3,943 acres, and nearly the whole
of the cultivated area, which amounts to 1,942 acres, is irrigablo.
There are 27 outlying hamlets. The revenue demand is
Bs. 6,680. There are a vernacular school, a post-office and a
bazar here. Kunwar Dirgpal Singh, honoiiry magistrate, holds
Ills court here, and Kunwar Si^tan Singh is the village munsif
of the Uresar circle.
UBNIDA, fljrjfflwialSHiBOB, Tahail Maikpum.
This village, in 27^ 2^^^^^^ 49' E., lies about 21
miles west of Mainp^ mi 12 miles north of Ghiror.
population in 1901 was 4,181, of whom 1,199 were males and
females. Classified according to religion there were ijSHm
ffindns and 82 Mubrnfinm^ while according to oceapadill
th^ yrere 14 zac/mnda^9f 1,36!2 cultivators, 142 traders and 111
labourers. The village, which contains a vernacular school,
Rovers a total area of 2,970 acres, out of which 1,323 acres ait.
ctitivated, only 46 being irrigated from the canal. There are
nii^e hamlets. It comprises one rmhcd, assessed at Bs. 3,900, and
^ z<mindc^a are Thakurs.
©ajettcer of fITainpuri.
APPENDIX.
GAZETTEER
OP
MAINPURI.
APPENDIX.
CONTENTS.
Paob,
Tiblb I.— Population by TahsiU, 1901 ... ... ... i
Tablb II.^Fopulation by Thanaa^ 1901 ... ... ... ii
Tabib III.— >yital statistici ... ... ..» ... iii
Tablb IV.— ‘Deaths according to cause
...
sss
iv
Tablb V.— ColtiTation and irrigation, 1314 Fasti.
SIS s.l
V
Tablb VI.— Principal crops by Tohsils
...
SSI • • •
vi
Tablb VIl.— Criminal Justice
...
Mi S.S
Ii
Tablb VIIL— Cogniwblo crime ...
...
sse •*!
xii
Tablb IX.— Berenuc demand at SuccessiTe settlements
SIS
xiii
Tablb X.— BcTenue and Cesses, for settlement year (1903—06) 1814 P
xit
Tablb XI.— >]fisciae
tee
... ...
XV
Tablb XIl.— Stamps
xvi
Tablb XIII.— Income-tax
e.e
...
xvii
Tablb XlV^—Jncome-tax by Tahsils
It. ...
xviii
Tablb XV.— District Board
... ...
zx
Tablb XVl.— Honicipality
• ts
... ...
xzi
Tablb XyiI.-Distribation of Police, 1906
... •••
Xlii
Tablb XVllI.^Edacation
set
xxiii
Schools, 1906 ...
xxir
BoadB,1908 ...
...
... ...
xxviii
Ferriet, 1906 ... ... *.•
HI
Post-offleei, 1906
...
zzd
Markets, 1908..«
...
Hxii
Fairs, 1906 ... ... ...
...
...
miU
Table L— Poptrfoitow hy TahaUs, 1901 .
ffV appendix. i
Others. I
«0
1
-..»S ..
s
a
•i
d
o
s
«
a*
CO
a
iH
S S S 1 9
1
s § ^ § 1
PH
1
00
1. i 1 1 §
IH ,4 00
1
a
3
1
a
a
I
•
' 1
S
1 1 5 1 1
1'
Oi
1 1 1 1 s.
ttT lO CD 10 00
1
a
3
V
P4
OO
s. S R i. 1
^ 01 !■( 01 '4*
iH PH
1
■
*§
a
3
m
•s
a
£
1 1 % 1 1
& S S S -9
1
•
V
1
«P
S S 9 S g
1 § g 9 1 I
1
m
S
m
»«
£
10
1 9 1 1. 9.
i ^ i a i
IH 00 i-«
'1
S
•s
a
£. _
s
s
1
-ii i
_.i
00
' s I ” § S
^ 1 s a 9
1
~ T | 2 "s i
1 f ^ S
1
..!! ...
1
1
00
^ S § B §
S 8 S f S
1
>
; ! : : : * i
iilii 1
APPENDIX.
m
Table III.— atatistics.
Births.
Deaths.
Year.
Total.
Males.
Females.
lUic
per
1,000.
ToUl.
Males,
Fi*iii los
Halo
per
1,000.
1
2
3
4
6
6
7
8
9
1891
22,678
12,063
10,626
^•76
17.616
9,869
7,746
23*11
1892
23,164
12,469
10,696
30*88
18,424
10,170
8,264
24-17
1893
29,357
16,689
18,788
38-50
15,386
8,416
0,970
20*19
1894
29,926
16,838
14,088
39*26
20,228
11,002
0,226
26*64
1896
31,644
16,697
15,047
41*52
16,023
8,642
7,181
21*02
1896
30.311
16,963
14,348
39-77
19,839
8,000
26*03
1897
26,691
14,067
12,634
36*02
27,600
11.577
13,023
38-21
1898
26,695
13,620
12,176
33*71
26,691
] 3,580
12.002
33 68
1899
38,608
20,172
18,336
60*52
81,962
IC,6<!0
15,296
41-93
1900
34,114
17,879
16,336
•44*76
26,602
14,33.5
12.267
34*90
1901
34.640
17,976
16,566
41*64
25.808
13,423
11,883
30 61
1902
34,244
17,866
16,378
41*29
24,444
12,803
1 ,661
29*47
1903
34,769
18,176
16,694
41*92
29,812
15,023
14,189
36*94
1904
33,133
17,264
16,869
89*96
81,254
15,808
15,440
37*68
1906
28.076
14*792
13,283
83-86
83,706
16,708
16,908
40-64
1906
33,382
17,623
16,769
40*25
26,015
13,400
12,555
31*87
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911 ...
1912
1913
1914
1916
1916 ...
1917
1918 ...
32.094
16,913
!
I
16.181
1
38*69
80.439
1
1
!
: 15,884
1
1 :
i
1
1
!
14,555
36*70
* The ntei from 1881 to 1900 oro o»lealit«l from tbo returai of the 1891 conifii.
iv
Mainpuri DiBinet.
Table I V.— Deaifca according to cause*
Year.
Total deaths fi on^
m
1
Plague.
Cholera
Small.
pox.
Fever.
Bowel
com-
plaints.
1
2
8
4
6
6
7
1891
• ••
17.616
...
178
66
16,363
74
1892
...
...
18.424
...
1,160
83
16,416
27
1898
..t
16,385
...
22
13
14,217
86
1894
•••
20.228
...
762
11
18,387
82
1895
• ••
...
16,023
...
4
81
14,878
49
1896
...
19,839
2
1,377
17,118
61
1897
•*«
27.600
...
107
1,699
24,621
60
1898
25,691
• M
3
24,477
16
1899
...
31.962
...
1
...
30,656
13
«•.
26,602
...
29
6
24,962
29
1901
...
25,808
...
882
3
28,240
9
1902
• ••
...
24,444
...
' 3
It.
22,837
6
1908
29,812
6
270
63
27,141
68
1904
i.«
81.264
2,831
84
69
26,791
82
1906
...
33,706
1
67
21,364
80
1906
•f
...
26,016
172
109
499
23,177
16
1907
80,439
873
135
26
26,878
80
■M
1909
.«•
...
•at
1911
...
1912
•••
•••
1918
• ••
...
1914
...
i
1916
...
1916
• ••
...
1917
.M
...
j
1918
j
Table acres vmder the TahsU Mainpwri.
I ' Babi. ’ 1 Kbarif.
(a) Details not available as tbe returns have been weeded out. | • Figures not available owing to settlement operations.
• ^^ABLE VI — (continaed ). — Area in acres under the principal crops, Tahsil Bkongaon.
(•) 09UiiA not ftTMlHble as the returns have been wee^i^ out, | • Figures not available owing to settlement operations.
t Tear of V8riflcatiott~]^sent setUement.
Table VI — (continued).— ilrea in acres under the pri/ncipal crops, TahsU ShikolKdxid,
Tabus VX-— (continued).— ^rea in acres under the principal crops, Tahsil Mtutafabad.
APFEKDIX
<«0 OtUili sot ftwiUlito M tlie retaros lieve b«»en weeded oat. | * Figaree not aveilaUe owing to settlement operations.
t Tear of Teriflcstioa — present settlement.
Table VI — (concluded ). — Area in acres vmder the principal crops^ TahM Karhal.
(a) Betoili not av^iilable ng the returns have been weeded oat. | * Figures not available owing to gettlement operations.
f Year of verifioation^nreaenf. aaftlAment.
Ta 3US VII.— rOimiwaZ Justice.
APPEITDIX.
i
Excise
Act.
lO
S*S”*S*-®8S*SS
s
«
0
l-g
r^NiXDi'^soweseoosoiOsOi
Seeping
the
peace.
so
MOOt^i-liOOCONCO-JWOO
eoiHOuoeo-H uouomcooi
Bad
liveli-
hood. 1
1
C!|
S!S3S2gSSSSSSfe
rH iH iH iH pH
1
4a
1
Criminal
trespass.
l-l
Q w> « 05 00 SO pH 00 op N 90 00 ej
i 5 o 5 05 aoo®opHOOsco 5 t>o
pH PH pH PH pH p^ iH
s
a
»4
I
Receiving
stolen
property.
„
i>^.Hoooico«eo:fO‘op*2
00 0 a p^ 05 01 1-- 0 » i> i> i>
iH pH
1
J
Robbery ,
and 1
dakaiti. !
1
a
(M-iKMOt-OpOWlOpHt^SO
»OeO»OrHpHPH»OpHpH
0
■*»
&
0
49
*8
s
00
S3SS3!2SSS«SSS
(rt 4 fl<NpH 3 ><'H«H»HiHpH.H pH
«
0
OB
U
&
]!riminali
force and
assault.
t>
S', »0 or 05 »f 5 *1 0 p< i 5
soc 5 soeo<Mw'«fiOw?»wcoeo
>4
1
battle
theft.
1
(0
<N 05 05 eo CO 1 ^ 00 g ^ 00 CO 2 g?
eoio iHpHpHbHpHpHOQ'V^CO
a
—
&
i
to
i> ; ;ph 5
S
m
0 .
0 49
> *4
s-
yf
oo»'- 30 <M 5 r“®? 2 $ 22 S 3 SS
1 W PH pH so CO iH pH ^ ^ W ^ N
Offences
effecting
life. 1
CO
iOb-aOHSCOpHNOWC.COOO
es|.^ 01 PHpH 94 'erH pHpH
S ■**
ll
0 ?
public
tran-
quillity,
chapter
VIII.
09
Q0'NO5co-rt^iow®®IlS2*a
cowo.co^cop-oot-Hueo®^
PH , pH pH
1
si!:::::::::::::::::!
Year.
r-l
Mainpuri District,
Table Ylll,—Oognig(Me crime.
.Year,
Number of easeB invefti-
gated by police—
Number of persons.—
8uo
motu,
By
orders of
Magis-
trate.
Sent up
for trial
Tried.
Acquit-
ted or
dis-
charged.
.Con-
victed.
1
2
8
4
B
6
7
1892
t«4
2,214
18
1,063
1,548
467
1,076
1898
.1,898
49
1,065
1,709
418
1,896
1894
• •f
...
1,777
41
1,189
L660
48t
1,222
1896
•••
•M
•1,686
88
1,072
1,516
414
'1108
1896
• ••
■•t
1,662
80
1,00?
1,4S5
601
984
1897
•ft
*$•
1,912
61
1.809
1,784
.461
1,828
1898
•M
9M
1,879
81
860
1,460
866
1,096
1899
«*«
996
1,718
29
1,161
1,494
284
1,810
1900
•««
Itt
1,741
44
1,008
1,866
814
1,068
1901
4*4
• 9*
1,616
16
847
1,211
240
971
1902
Ml
1.846
21
766
1.188
248
948
IPQS
999
1.211
17
745
1,249
266
998
1904
•M
•M
1.827
12
810
1,168
218
960
1905
M«
•••
2,919
176
938
1,009.
448
1.161
1906
tM
•••
8,217
221
694
1,839
647
792
1907
M4
M*
215
816
1,625
485
1,040
1908
•••
999
2,208
816
678
884
98
791
1909
9M
999
1910
9M
999
1911
•90
999
1918
•M
9M
1918
tM
999
1914
•M
•99
1915
.M
999
'
1916
•••
•99
1917 .
M8
»«9
*
Table 1X .«— demand at successive settlements*
APPENDIX
* Noti.— F igaiet showing the demand at the earlier settlements are not available for these parganss as great portions of them wore in-
•IndM in large talnqas, each as Manchhana ant llahaminadpar*Labhaa\ which comprised ▼illagas Assessed colle jl^ively and nst inliTida •
nUjf^ and no reeoid the assessment Tillsge by fiU»ge, if it was erer made, now exists.
xiv Mainfuri District
Table X,-~*Pre8ent demand for revenue and cesses for
the year 1314 Fasli.
Pargana and
Where included
in Ain4^
Akbari»
Rcvenuo
Ccssca.
•
Total.
Incidence per
aero—
tahBil.
Culti-
vated.
Total.
1
2
3
4
6
6
7
Rs.
Rs.
Rs.
Rs. a. p
Ke. a. p.
Uainpuri
Bhongaon Sauj\
1,00.812
10,091
1,10,903
2 4 7
1 0 11
3hiror
Rapri
1,01,187
10,119
1,11,306
2 11 1
1 2 8
[Cai'soli
Kuraoli
4G.413
4,641
61,054
1 12 10
1 1 0
?ali8il Maiupuvi,
...
2,48,412
24,861
2,73,263
2 5 0
118
Bhougaon ...
Bhongaon
1,88,447
18,845
2,07,202
2 1 0
1 2 11
Uewar
Birwar
26,399
2,640
27,939
14 8
t 0 1
klipur Patti ...
Patti AH pur .
20,78]
2,078
22,859
1 1 9
1 2 7
Kisliai Nabi-
gmj.
Bhongaon
81.804
8,181
89,985
2 5 4
14 0
Tahiil Bhongaou
...
3,16,431
31,044
3,48,076
1 16 11
1 2 11
Karhal
Etawah
94,026
9,436
1,03,462
2 15 7
14 5
Barnabal
Etawah
93,456
9,346
1,02,802
2 12 9
1 12 1
rahiil Karhal,
...
1,87,482
18,782
2,06,264
2 14 2|
1 7 7
Shikohabad ,m
Rapri
2,81,024
28,236
i
o
2 7 2
1 10 3
1
rabsil Shikoha-
bad.
...
2,81,024
28,236
3,09,260
8.7 2
1 10 8
Ifuitufabad
Rapri
3,18,898
31,890
3,60,788
8 0 7
1 11 7
rahail Mustafa- '
bad.
soe
3,18,898
31,890
8,50,788
3 0 7
1 11 7
District Total,
saa
13,62,247
1,36,403
14,87,860
2 7 sj
16 2
APPENDIX.'
I -"anols aa 3 s sss 32 | 8 § 88 aagg
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CO CO «-c eo CO eo CO e
1 .o»o»o^«OOCDr^cocooi3:*-<w5MO-H-4i(5
! ef of CO of CO* of vi -f -iT -o* -)»* ^ -O'* '<•’ eo* ctf
“"l ** " — —
I 1=11
I I
»^ 85 asig§§=aS 25 iillS
i -• ss
llllilill liillillil
SsSS*
• liiilaiiM OM .diop fot Bcdieat purpote. (<lriiggi.t>. permtU and the Uke) from the year 1899-1900 to 190508.
Diririctf
Table X11.^8tamp8.
18994900
1900-01
190L'02
1902-03
1963-04
1904- 05
1905- 06
1906- 07
1907- 08
1908- 09
1909- 10
1910- 11
1911- 12
191248
191844
191446
1916-16
1916- 17
1917- 18
Receipts from —
^ Court-fee
. . 1 including All soaroes.
25,972 1.36,378
23,190 1,22,154
21,136 127,925 ^50^733
23,975 1,36,083 13,^715
24,884 1,36,819 733,306
24298 1,44.474 1,71,046
26272 1.42.423 141,117
Table XllL-
Appstoit, *vrt •/
0'-
§S3&S§|SSSSSf:399SS ;
hit =
eiO)qQOU3*HkOQO<-4MkoeQioeeiHe9^0
i| =
00 o 00 a CO o fio iH ^ lo ^ m Q « 09 M i>
. i>“2
«ir
fc “ i ~
S 1 1 *
^eoeoeoi-ii-iOOMQ90i-ii-iiHAO»ooo»
[i
iij-
M"
*** touSta ioto Qo'oDitfx otT
^ iH pM| pH
983
980
979
973
1.012
999
965
943
945
909
908
. 924
952
335
323
316
326
320
1 ‘ ■
iT-
,3 i «::::::: i t :: I
1 ^ "
£■<
Bb.
*203
124
182
177
170
161
185
99
168
166
125
418
m
f-«rHfHiHf-lMeOM«9eO^O»
If ■
i -
! i : ! ! : ; 1 : : : ! : : : .1 ii i i i si > 1 i i
1 i i ! : i I } ! i i t i i i M ! i i } i i i n i
SSJSSSS§j;|is^83888!$8Sag«S»S§
Table XIV. — Income-tax hy TahsUs (Part IV only).
Tabsil Maiiipuri.
Under Over
Bs. 2,000. Rb. 2,000.
Rs. ft. p.
1890- 91...
1891- 92...
1892- 93 ...
1893- 94...
1894- 95...
1896-96...
1896- 97...
1897- 98...
1898- 99...
1899- 1900
1900- 01...
1901- 02...
1902- 03...
1903- 04...
1904- 06...
1905- 06...
1906- 07...
1907- 08...
1908- 09...
1909- 10...
1910- 11...
1911- 12...
1912- 18, ..
1918-14...
1914-16...
1916-16
1916- ir...
1917- 18...
SCO 5,261 35
302 4,374 44
297 4,436 38
286 4,138 37
317 4,173 36
336 4,271 33
291 4,161 31
272 4,411 41
260 4,136 43
240 3.600 39
236 3,783 36
244 4,001 34
262 4,100 34
80 2,179 32
85 2,220 29
85 2,130 32
88 2,267 34
85 2,254 31
4,136-0-0
3,850 0-0
4,205-9-1
6,253-2 6
4,017-1.1(
Year.
1
1891-92
1892-93
1893-94
1894-95
1895-96
1896-97
1897-98
1898-99
1899-1900
•••
1900-01
1901-02
1902-03
1903-04
...
1901-05
1905-00
...
1906-07
1907-03
...
1908 09
1909-10
1910-11
...
1911-12
1912-18
...
1918-14
19J4-16
1916-16
... ;
1916-17
1917-18
Tahsil Shikohftbad.
Under Over
Rb. 2,000 Rs. 2,000.
H ^ Eh
3 4 6
200 8.636
193 3,082
194 3,073
198 3,161
216 8,381
202 3,280
181 2,803
188 2,944
181 2,f^9
18S 3,d62
180 3,139
200 '3,353
210 3,415
60 1,866
70 1,944
62 J,792
83 2,350
80 2,251
42 4,076
38 3.777
39 3,823
33 3,136
3' 8,069
29 2,699
31 2,874
36 3,007
36 2,908
26 2,234
29 2,553
29 2,636
28 2.893
26 2,191
29 2,687
28 2,499
21 1,929
22 2.062
. APPENDIX. XIX
Table XIV — (concluded). — Income-tax hy Tahsils (Part IV only ), .
Tahsil Bhougaon.
Ttthttil MnstafabaJ.
ruhsil Karbal.
Under
Over
Under
Over
Under
Over
Year.
Us. 2,000.
Ha. 2 000.
Ba. 2,000.
Ka. 2,000.
Ra.
2,000.
Ka. 2,000.
QB
a>
Si .
SB
Q> .
H*
%
CD
a>
M
5
ce
{A
H
. ^
(A
H
u
S
oa
8
H
CO
0>
0)
«
CD
»
CD
H
A
CD
◄
C9
H
<
h’
at
<
<
S
1
2
3
4
6
2
3
4
6
2
3
4
5
1890-91 ...
159
Ks.
2,294
17
Bh.
1 ,060
IGO
Ks.
8,064
26
Us.
2.693
114
Ba.
2,211
21
Ks.
1,774
1891-92 ...
181
2,671
15
!)52
170
2,807
24
2,525
134
2,167
20
1,659
1892-98 ...
180
2,603
13
872
176
2.918
24
2,525
132
2,164
10
1.612
1893-94
175
2,400
10
. 038
74
2,902
22
142
2,341
19
1,612
1894-95 ...
176
• 2,612
10
689
172 3,010
20
2,310
131
2,193
18
1,665
1895-90 ...
104
2,572
9
541
l6.»j 2,671
24
2,34i
l2Vi
2,171
19
1,678
1896-97 ...
180
2,567
10
610
17.
2,630
21
2,352
132
2,192
18
1,334
1897-98 ...
169
2,052
11
703
183 2,951
23
2,305
•31
8,812
10
1,617
1898-99 ...
174
2,711
10
623
198
8,241
25
2,330
132
2,296
17
1,220
1899-1900
158
2,563
(i
534
187
3,219
25
2,547
136
2,344
15
1,364
1900-01 ...
m
2,775
8
612
187
3,199
29
2,773
138
2,269
18
1,636
1901-<J2 ...
169
2.640
8
672
177
2,984
30
2,985
134
2,255
17
1,662
1902-03 ...
172
2,664
7
697
179
3,058
26
2,508
139
2,363
17
1,480
1903-04 ...
48
1,243
7
685
83
2,059
17
1,693
58
1,503
12
1,137
1904-05 ...
49
1.317
6
534
60
1,664
18
1,S6{‘
69
*1,659
1,020
1906-06 ...
61
l,41ri
5
429
ei
1,625
19
1,927
67
1,602
10
968
1900-07 ...
44
1,235
436
58
1,534
20
2,034
63
1,416
10
880
1907-08 ...
39
1.120
5
360
51
1,278
20
2,090
66
1,692
8
822
1908- 09 ...
1909- 10 ...
1910- 31 ...
1911^^12 ...
1912-18 ...
1918-14 ...
1914-16 ...
1916- 16 ..
1910-17 ...
1917- 18 ...
i
•
t
I
iiainpuri District.
Table XVI.— Jtfu^yoKiyo/ Jfoifljjwri.
AFPBBBIX
191248 .
1918 - 14 ...
1914 - 16 ...
1916-16 .
Maimpwri Jmnet.
Tablb XVII.— ®/
Sob* Head- gon- ““"I®*' Town R^l B|^
itr .ss;- p»^«®-
Mainpuri
Bbongaon
Kiibni
KuraoU
Siriagan]
Sbikobabad
Muttafabad
Ska
Citil Eeifrte
Armed Police
APPiitrotx.
um
Table XVIII. — Edueation, 1908.
Total.
Secondary ednoation
Primary edacation.
Year.
i
Scliolara.
Scholars.
I
Scbolari.
Schools am
leges.
Males.
Females.
8
I
Males.
Females.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1896-97
127
4,013
64
6
863
120
8,184
64
1897-98
126
8,648
63
6
786
...
119
2,788
68
1898-99
128
4,236
138
6
768
...
116
8,445
188
1899-1900 ...
134
4,662
140
7
861
...
126
3,791
140
1900-01
188
4,701
147
7
862
,,,
126
8,889
147
1901-02
134
4,641
166
6
828
...
121
8,704
166
1902-03
144
4,843
183
6
788
...
188
4,066
188
1908-04
164
6,016
178
6
762
,,
148
4,264
178
1904-06
148
4,678
181
6
776
...
142
8,908
181
1906-06
164
6.991
880
6
877
1
168
6,114
829
1906-07
236
7,169
704
6
886
...
229
6,288
704
1907-08
264
7,948
797
6
946
1
248
6,997
796
1908-09
260
7,767
888
7
1,110
94
242
6,817
784
1909- 10
1910- 11
1911- 12
1012-18
1918-14
1914-16
1916-16
1916-17
lil7-18
j
j
. i
1
.
i
1
i
1
i
i
MlV
liainpuri tidrict
List of Schools, 1908 .
Tahsil.
Locality.
Claaa.
■
/ Mainpuri ...
Ditto I...
High School
137
Mission High School
130
Ditto ...
Vernacular Middle School,
175
Aunchlia ...
Primary School ...
23
Jeonti
Ditto ...
26
Sikandarpur
Ditto
23
Ohiror ...
Ditto
41
Nauner ...
Ditto
45
Aurcn
Ditto
106
Naurangpur
Ditto
17
Bhatani
Ditto
19
GhitauH ...
Ditto
29
Faailpur • ...
Ditto
16
Kuraoli ...
Ditto ,,,
111
Daulatpnr
Ditto
63
Lalpur ...
Ditto
24
Kuchela ...
Ditto
80
Lakhaura
Ditto
18
Angautha ... ...
Ditto
19
Jawapur
Ditto
19
Usnida ... ...
Ditto
21
Tinrauli
Ditto
46
lladhan
IHtto
16
MainpuriM,^
Belahar ... ...
Ditto
17
Ikri „
Ditto
21
Faiapor
Ditto
21
Ditto
60
Ganj and Mainpuri free
icliooli.
Ditto
196
Purohitana...
Girls* School
20
Naunor ,,,
18
Kuraoli
Ditto
10
Mainpuri ...
Model School
18
Minrhauli ...
Aided School
19
pupwi
Ditto
28
SoMj
Ditto
18
Baaemar ...
Ditto
17
Siraa
Ditto
12
Sarai Latif...
Ditto
88
Oe
Ditto
16
Thorwa ...
Ditto
1
Cbapri ...
Ditto
19
Manauna
Ditto
16
PiinuBkb ... > ...
Ditto
29'
\
^nmrpur
Ditto
Kaaon '
••• f..
Ditto
16
Shikohabid
Vernacular Middle School.
164
Swbnput ...
Primary School ...'
44
0hikohaUdMi
...
Bhmnl ... „
Ditto
Ditto ...
86
88
IfclhMpnr
Ditto
44
Sothia
Ditto
B1
APFBNDIXf
ZZY
List of Schools, 1908— (continued).
Tabsil.
Locality.
Class.
Average
attend*
ance.
IillljllAllfli
Primary School
•a*
64
Saboouli ,M
...
Ditto
u.
SO
Madanpar ...
...
Ditto
•••
81
Kesri ' ...
...
Ditto
iti
26
Karora
...
Ditto
•M
20
Aswai ...
...
Ditto
Simra ...
...
Ditto
Ml
20
Nagla Gulal
...
Ditto
*«•
26
...
Ditto
• tt
Sirsaganj ...
...
Ditto
• M
70
Kam •.«
...
Ditto
27
Urmara
...
Ditto
23
Shikohftbad^
Birai Jabanabad
„
Ditto
19
(e^nelud-
Puncbha
...
Ditto
• ••
28
Irf).
Bhadan
...
Ditto
26
Arann ...
*••
Ditto
ti*
28
Shikohabad ..
M.
Girls* School
68
...
17
Dandiamai ...
».
Ditto
...
10
Smajpur .m
..
Ditto
aa«
21
Orawar
Ditto
Me
24
Salem par ...
...
Aided School
• M
21
Tiliani ...
...
Ditto ,
eae
28
(Tntri ...
Ditto
...
27
Jaimai ...
...
Ditto
•••
20
Garbsin ...
Ditto
•••
80
Naairpur ...
...
Ditto
M.
17
\
Pilepur
...
Ditto
84
Karbal ...
...
Ycroacular Middle School,
93
Barnabal ...
...
Primary School
...
66
Dihali ...
Ditto
88
Sab'in ...
...
Ditto
12
Ghandikra ...
Ditto
.t.
20
Harwai ...
...
Ditto
28
Bam pur
...
Ditto
20
Earhsl ... ^
Terha Nawa
...
Ditto
19
Rahmatullabpur
...
Ditto
16
Takhrau ...
...
Ditto
29
Karbal
Aided Girls* School
to
24
Kamalpar ...
Aided School
eet
14
Nagla Dayal
...
Ditto
aao
20
Chandpura ...
...
Ditto
21
Dandgaon ...
Ditto
10
Terha ...
...
Ditto
...
10
Bhongaon ...
Yernaoutar Middle School, I
148
All Kbera ...
Primary School
...
121
Kirpalpar ...
...
Ditto
•M
60
BhoBgaoii.MY
Kirpia
•••
Ditto
•••
72
Kishni
Ditto
•••
61
Allahabad ...
Ditto
eol
62
\
Bewar
Ditto
•M
62
zxvl
list of Sohodt, 1908— (continued).
Tfthiil.
Bhongaon— ,
(tonclud^ '
td).
MuitofabadJ
Kuimanb ...
Toratpur ...
Saltangan j ...
Kinawar ...
Katra Saman
Aurandh ...
Agbar
Jagatpnr ...
Naigawan ...
Tarba
Gujarpnr ...
Batanpnf ...
Qarbia
Pbarenji ...
Deogan] ...
Kaitbauli ...
Sugaon ...
Sahara
Humayunpur
Nagla Pontb
Sakra
Nabiganj ...
Cbbacbha ...
Jaramai ...
AjUgsiiJ
Bewar ...
Knamara ...
AliKbera ...
Biobbwan • •a
Barauli ...
Jaraali
Hindupur ...
Barhat
BbalntrauU
Mangaon ...
Tiliani
Cbilaunia ...
I Jairana ...
Farbam
Muatafabad
I Ureiar
I Kbairgarb ...
I Faindbat ...
Pbatba
I Baragaon ...
I Kuiiari ...
I HatwanI ...
Jbapara ...
Bka ..•
Kaurara Bniarg
Hataoli Jaitingbpar
At
CUii.
at
a
Primary School
...
Ditto
•••
Ditto
Ditto
...
Ditto
Ditto
...
Ditto
Ditto
oaa
Ditto
...
Ditto
...
Ditto
Ditto
•M
Ditto
aac
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
*.r.
Ditto
...
Ditto
,. Ditto
oaa
.. Ditto
to
. Ditto
.. Ditto
...
.. Ditto
...
,. Qirla* School
...
Ditto
sm
.. Ditto
...
».. Aided School
...
Ditto
Ditto
...
... Ditto
...
Ditto
.. Ditto
...
... Ditto
Ditto
...
... Ditto
...
Primary School
... Ditto
...
Primary School
Ditto
...
..
Ditto
Ditto
...
... Ditto
...
Ditto
..
... Ditto
Ditto
...
... Ditto
...
...
Z Ditto
...
Ditto
Ditto
...
49
40
83
28
84
49
23
41
26
81
26
19
80
19
28
20
28
66
26
84
28
40
86
19
27
22
16
19
88
18
16
28
23
26
18
18
64
64
28
47
64
22
40
20
26
19
21
19
87
10
18
APPENDIX,
. xxxii
List of ScKodSj 1908-— (concluded).
Tahsil.
Locality.
/
Nagla Dhir
Bairni Sanaura
...
Sanao
Kailai
Pilakhtar ...
Bnhat ...
Khudadadpiir
...
Mastafabad
Koahpar ...
...
•— (o0«o{«d- \
Khflirgarb ...
•rf).
Tharaua ...
Sankhni ...
Katena Haraa
Kharit Milaoli
Kizampur ...
...
Kanwarft ...
k Rampur ...
Clasa.
ArereM
) attend-
ance.
Primary School
21
Ditto
18
Ditto
14
Ditto
17
Ditto
81
Ditto
16
Ditto
11
Ditto
13
Aided Oirle* School
28
Aided School
28
Ditto
20
Ditto
16
Ditto
28
Ditto
18
Ditto
21
Ditto
16
zxviii
Mainpuri uiBtrwu
BOADS, 1908.
A
.—Fbotivoias.
Milef Fup. Ffe.
(i) Grand Trunk road, Aligarb, Etah and Cawnpore
aeetion.
(ii) Agra, Mainpuri and Bbongaon Trunk road ...
Etawab, Bewar and Fatobgarh road
Total
A.-LOOAK.
87 8 610
46 6 667
80 1 98
103 2 600
mtalUd road» Ifiiged and drointd
ilr^ughouL
(i) Etah and Sbikobabad road ...
(ill Sbikobabad railway feodor road
(iii) Jaarana and Musiafabad road ...
(it) Sirsaganj and Bateaar road ...
t(v) Obiror and Jaarana road •••
f (vi) Obiror Kosma railway feeder road «*#
Station roado.
Poat*office to cricket ground road *.«
I Great circular road ... ...
I Little „ „
) Sansarpur junction
I Ditto to d&k bungalow road
) Cricket'ifround to Bbongaon road
) Encamping'ground road ...
i) Police linea road
) Church to Judge's court road ...
) Jndgo’a court to lean Nadi road
) Cburob to lean Nadi road ...
Poat-office to Oolleotor'a kacbahri road
Kacbahri jnnetion road
I Jail road ... ...
I Judge's court to city road ...
I City to Devi road ...
Total
19 7 690
1 4 180
a 7 600
2 2 880
9 6 222
8 2 180
1.5 7 807
6'J 6 279
local metalled roade partiallg hridgid
and drained %
(i) Mainpuri and Kursoli road ... ...
(li) Mainpuri and Etawah road ... •.»
(iii) Sbikobabad and Sirsaganj road ...
* (iv) Sbikobabad and Batesar road ...
(v) Kaurara railway feeder road
Total
JLS,^8eeond‘elati unmetalUd roade.
Sbikobabad and Batesar road
Gbiror and Knraoli road ...
11
4
180
18
4
0
7.
2
0
8
8
0
1
2
190
40
7
820
8
0
0
18
0
0
• ProvinoiaUied from let April 1908. f Bailed and metalled la 1907-08.
** M x... 1. A.
APPEKDIX.
ROADS. im^CooneludedJ.
JM»"»StcohMaii unnuialled roait— (concluded).
(ill) Jaerenn and Bangaon road ... ••
(It) Siriagani and Araon road ... ...
(▼) Sirsoganj and Etawah road ... ...
(▼i) Mustafabad and Pharha road «m
(▼ii) Siriagan] and Karhal road ... ...
(Tiii) Karhal and Kishni road
(xix) Bhadan railway feeder road
(xi Mainpuri, Bhanwat and Saman road ...
(xi) Karim ganj and Biohhwan road ...
(xiil Makhanpur railway itaiion road
(xiii) Chbachba and Ali-Khera road
(xir) Madar Darwaza road and laan Nadi road to diati
lery road.
IIL’^Tkifd^elait roadi hankid and iur/ae§d hui not drnimd^
(1) Mustafabad and Paindbat road
(iij Mainpurl and Sirsaganj road
(iii) Sirsaganj and Batesar road
(iv) Obiror and Karbal road ...
(t) Sbikohabad and Mustafabad road
IV,—FouftK^elau rondo honhed hnt not our faced,
partiaU^f hridgod oaif drninod,
(1) Paindbat and Kailai road ...
(ii) Mustafabad and Kana-Kuan road
(iiij Kusiari and Pachawar road ...
(m Obiror and Pachawar road
(v) Kalhor to Jarara road ...
(▼il Jawapnr and Dannahar road
(Yii) Nagaria to Gangs! road * ...
(fiii) Pul Pachawar to Nagla Fateh Khan road
(ixi Pul Aurangabad to Pol Patikra and Barsgaon road,
(x) Nagla Saleh! to Kusiari and Baragaon road
*(xi) Mota Alipur road ... ... ...
Gbavd total
Miles Fur. Ft.
2 8 0
6 4 0
12 0 0
6 6 0
16 0 0
19 4 U
2 0 0
17 0 0
8 0 0
0 6 0
8 0 0
10 0
109
6
0
2
4
0
28
4
0
7
8
0
15
• 2
0
12
0
0
60
6
0
8
0
0
8
0
0
4
7
0
6
0
0
2
0
0
6
0
0
7
0
0
6
0
0
12
0
0
12
0
0
7
0
0
66
7
0
416 1 489
^ Banked and dressed in 1908i
Ma/UipuH Uiinnot,
FBB&IKS, 1900.
River
Nftme of ferry.
Name of village.
Tahiil.
Management.
Income.
■
...
Re.
■
Bejghat
Bajghat •«#.
Bhongaon...
Dietriot Board,
MO^
d
Bhanan, Maira
Bhaian ...
Ditto ..
Ditto
746
«M
1
Auriodh. *
Hanna Khera ...
Hanna Khera ...
Ditto ...
Ditto
870
Kakarghata ...
Kakarghata ...
Ditto ...
Ditto
180
r
1
Alnpnra
1
Ala para ...
1
Mainpari ...
i
1
Ditto
690/
i3
APmsiz.
mi
POST'OFriCSS, 1906,
nbtii.
Locality.
Claia of office.
Mainpnri ...
Head office
Mainpuri city
Sub-office ...
Knraoli
Ditto ...
Aanckha ... ..
Branch office
Jeonti ... ...
Ditto
Euchela ...
Ditto
^ Qbiror ...
Ditto
r Sultanganj ..
Branch office
Bhongaon ...
Sub-office
Bcwiir
Ditto ...
Kiibni ... ...
Ditto
Alipnr Fbtti ...
Branch office ...
Kusmara ...
Ditto
^ Kabiganj ...
Ditto
# Karbal ...
Sub-office
1 Barnahal
Brancli office
[ Knrra ...
Ditto
, Sbikobabad
Sub-offico
ehikohatadB. 8.
Ditto
Siriaganj ...
Ditto
Bara wicr
Branch office
Bhadan ...
Ditto
Bbaranl .*• ...
Ditto
Madanpnr ...
Ditto
Makbanpnr
Di to
Natirpur ...
Ditto
Tiliani ... ...
Ditto
\ Unnara
Ditto
Kbairgarb
Branch office.
Jairana ...
Sub-office. „.
Eka
Branch office
( Moatafabad
Ditto
I Fharba
Ditto
Parham ...
Ditto
Urcmr
j
Ditto
Mantgfmtttt,
Main pair!
Bhongaon
Karhal
ShIkobaUd..
Mnitafabad..
tmparial.
Jiavitpwi JMrid.
uxii
MABKETS, 1908.
Tabsils.
Mainpuri
Towns or villages.
Market days.
I
Manckhana
Nauner
Kuraoli
Qhiror
Darbah
Kosma
Sunday and Wednesday.
Monday.
Monday and Friday,
Tuesday and Friday.
Monday and Thursday,
Sunday and Thursday,
Bhongaon
Earhal
Shikohabad
Moatafabad
Allahabad
Aung
Kundi
Tara pur, masra Hatpao ...
Kusmara* ... •••
Bewar
Katra, masra Saman
Chauraipur ...
Kishni ••• .
Mahuli-Shamfchcrganj
1 Kamnagar ...
Nabiganj ...
Arsara ...
Kumbaul ...
Laigaon ...
Cliitain
Ali Khera
Barauli
i Lalnpnra
Karhal ..i
Kishanpnr, mazra Patara,
Karra Khas ... •••
Ram para, mazra Karra ...
( Makhiani, masra Ninaali
I Urthan ... •••
Dalelnagar ...
\ Dihuli
Nawa Tehragaon
Monday and Friday.
Wednesday and Saturday,
Wednesday and Sunday.
Ditto.
Monday and Thursday.
Tuesday and Friday.
Sunday and Thursday.
Tuesday and Saturday.
Ditto
Monday and Friday.
Monday and Thursday.
Ditto.
Sunday and Wednesday.
Tuesday and Saturday,
Sunday and Thursday.
Monday and Friday,
Tuesday and Friday.
Friday.
Wednesday.
Sunday and Thursday,
Tuesday and Saturday.
Wednesday and Saturday.
Thursday and Saturday.
Tuesday and Saturday,
Monday and Friday.
Ditto.
Monday and Saturday.
I Tuesday and Saturday,
•••
/
Shikohabad ...
Sirsagan]
Bharaul ...
Sarhupur •••
Khairgarh ...
Mustafabad
Parham
Pharha ... •••
0re.M CtaJaaiiM SisgU „
Jasrana
Bahat •••
Kusiari ... •••
Shekhupur Hatwant
Tuesday and Friday.
Monday and Wednesday.
Wednesday and Saturday,
Tuesday end Friday,
Monday and Friday,
Sunday and Thursto.
Tuesday and Saturday,
Monday end Friday.
Sunday and Wedneswy.
Six days except Monday.
Wednesday and Saturday.
Ditto.
Thursday,
APt>£KSl±.
Malniiuri {
BhoDgaon ;
Mainpuri *.■
Ditto ...
Ditto ...
Aunchha
Ditto
Bidhauu ...
Sujrai
Fatehganjpur ...
Sarhpura
> Isai Sarai
Allahabad ...
Ditto
Aungh
Knamara
Chaunraipur ...
Mahul i-S h a m-
shorgang.
Ditto
Laigaon ... !
Banakia
Nagla Debi
Jakha ...
Maachhana ,..
Katanpur Bara,
Bhanwat
Sakat Bewar ...
D^anatnag a r
Baghera ...
Tarha
Dhamianpur ...
AUpnr*Koihoii-
por.
B ai gawan
Khena.
Jatpnra
Hindupar
Nagla Barna Nadi
Sheopura ...
Patna Tilna ...
Madhkarpor ...
Ditto
I Hardal fair
I Devi fair
Ditto
, ! Bagliraj fair ,
, Mahadeo fair
Makrand fair
Tij fair
Mahadeo fair
Ditto
Ditto
Sawan Sudi 16lh ...
Chait Badi 8th ...
Chait Sudi 8th ...
Chait Sudi 9th
Bhadon Sudi 15th ...
Katik Sudi 16th ...
Chait Badi Srd ...
Phagun Badi 18th...
Ditto
Bhadon Sudi 14th ...
Kale Khan fair On every Thursday...
Devi fair ... Chait Sudi 6th ...
Ditto ... Chait Sudi I6th ...
Mahadeo fair ... Phngun Sudi 13th...
Devi fair .. A-saih Sudi 16th ...
Ditto •« Chait Sudi 9th ...
Mahadeo fair ...
Ditto ...
Ditto ...
Devi fair „.
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto ...
Mahadeo fair ...
Devi fair
Mahadeo fair ...
Devi
Bam Nawmi ...
Shcoratri ...
Devi
Ditto ...
Asarh Sudi l6th n.
Chait Sudi 13th ...
Baisakh Sudi 18tb..,
Chait Sudi 6th .„
Ditto 8th ...
Chait and Kuar ...
Katik Sudi 2nd ... £
Ditto 10ih&15th,
Phugun Badi 18th ...
Chait Sudi Ist to 9tb,
16th Chait to 16th
Baisakb.
Phagun Badi 18th...
Chaii Sudi 6th ...
100
800
200
800
1,200
2,000
2,000
600& 1.600
400
1,000
Bam Nawmi Chait Sudi 9th
Chnreiar
Dhannsh-Jng ,
Devi
Bhairon
Mahadeo
Aitik
Ditto
Sahara
Chhachha I
Jogpnr ... 1
MairaDebiparj
Mahadeo
Sobal Sunt
Katik Sudi lit ...
Agban Sudi 6th
to l5th.
Chait Sudi 5th
Chait Sudi 9th ...
Chait Badi 18th ...
On every Monday, in
Chait and Knar Sudi
9th.
Chait Sudi 9tb and
Badi 8th.
Bhadon Sudi 6th •«.
Every Sunday m.
Phagun Sadi I8tb ...
Bhadon Sudi 6th
ixtiv
fAlBS,
Approxi*
mate
Tihiili.
Loeality.
Name of fairs.
Date,
. average
attend-
anee.
/
’ AUpurFktti
Xabadoo
aa*
Cbait Sudi 9tb ...
400
. Sand*
•••
Ditto
tf-
Pbagnn Sndi 18ih...
600
if
il
1 Chandpar
Ditto
•M
Devi
Do
...
Cbaft Sudi 8tb ...
Asarb Sudi 15tb ...
600
600
Fartabpar
Ml
BadUSbab
Magb Sudi 6tb ...
200
Bui Sanaun
Xabadflo
ttt
Bbadon Sndi 6tb ..
4.000
\
Bhongaon
ao«
Bam LiU
aae
Knar Badi 18tb ...
10,000
r
. Karhal
Jababar
Bbadon Badi 18tb ...
200
Ditto
aaa
Nemnatb
...
Cbait Badi 9tb ...
600
Ditto
Jagdbar
...
Kartik Badi 2nd ...
160
Ditto
aaa
Devi
Cbait Badi 8tb ...
800
Karra Kbat
Ml
Do.
Ditto
200
Urban
Jidbikar
Kartik Sudi 16th ...
200
Dibali
aa«
Ditto
Bbadon Badi ;i8tb ...
860
Kirthoa
Ml
Mabadeo
PbagUn Badi l^tb ...
200
Bajpnr
•••
Hannman .
KtrUk Sndi 16tb ...
200
Qambbira
Ditto
ChiitBidi2iid
200
Andani
Mabadeo
M.
Fbagnn Badi 18tb m.
200
Ktrlial... ^
Saban
Devi
M*
BiiMkhB.di8rd
200
Baniak
••1
Do.
Knar Badi 9tb
200
Udban
Do.
Cbait Sndi 9th ...
160
Dnndwa
Do.
Cbait Badi 8tb ...
160
Bharti
Bbaifon
Cbait Badi lltb ...
J60
Fatara
Bababar Matb...
Cbnit Sudi I6tb
800
lyhiyani
^taoli
Ml
Ml
Mabadeo
Devi
tae
Pbagun Badi 14tb.,.
Cbait Badi 8th ...
200
800
Bhagwatipar
Do,
Ditto
200
Maniarpar
„
Do.
MS
Cbait Badi 9tb ...
200
Sanapnra
IM
Do.
•»a
Ditto
200
Barnahal
Ml
Do.
tee
Ditto
400
Lakbanman
Do.
Ditto
160
Knaberl
m!
Do.
BaisakhSadi9tb ...
200
Cbandikra
•••
Mabadeo
Ml
Cbait Sndi 8rd
. 260
/
Xnttafabad
IM
1 Bam Nanmi
In Cbait
1.000
ICnttaf. ;
Pirtbipar
Nagarsen
#•*
Baiiakb SndiStb...;
600
Santbi
Faindbat
Ml
III
Sbeoratri
Jakbia
ttt
Fbagnn 18tb ..j
In Magb, when f nil
8.000
20.000
moon ie vjiible on
Snndif.
GAZETTEER OF MAINPURL
INDEX.
A.
Aganga, the, pp. 16, 264.
Agrloultural operations, p. 38.
Ahirs, p. 88.
Ahmad Khan Bangash, p. 160.
Ahmad Shah, p. 160.
Ahmad Shah Durrani, pp. 160, 162.
Ailau, p. 181.
Akbar, p. 167.
Akbarpur Auncha, p. 181.
Ala*ud-din, p. 152.
All khora, p. 182.
Alipur Patti, p. 182.
Aliput Patti pargana, p. 183.
Alipur Patti mahal, p. 158.
Allahabad, p. 186.
! Angautha, p. 186.
I Animals, domestiQ, p. 29.
' . Araon, p. 186.
I Area cd the district, p. 1.
Arind, the— p. 14.
Aryas, p. 86.
! Assessment circles, p, 128.
Attestation, p. 127.
Aung, p. 186.
Aurandh, p. 187.
Auron Fanraiia, p. 187.
B.
: Babar, p. 166.
Bahult p. 28.
Bahlol, p. 162.
JBaitan, p. 65.
Bangai, p. 6.
I Banias, p. 97.
I Baragaon, p. 187.
JSarfM, p. 6.
I Barley, p. 41.
' Bamahal paragana, p. 188.
Bamahal, p. 188.
Bamath lair, p. 246.
Basait, p. 191.
Behar,pp.6, 257.
Bewar, p. 191.
Bewar pargana, p. 192.
Bhadan, p. 196.
Bhadana, p. 195.
Bhagna, pp. 5, 10.
Bhanwat, p. 195.
Bharaol, p. 196.
plunraiii 8i^, Bao^ p. 165.
p.196.
Bhongaon pargana, p. 198.
Bhongaon mahal, 168.
Bhongaon Ikta, p. 148.
Bhongaon Humayun attacked at, p. 157.
Shur, p. 4.
Bir Bahan, p. 149.
Brahmans, p. 90.
Building materials, p. 26.
c.
Canals, p. 47.
Canals, and spread of rth, p. 46.
Canals doficiency of supply, p. 46.
Canals, Bewar branch, p. 49.
Canals, Bhognipur branch, pp. 51, 125.
Canals, Cawn^ore branch, p. 60.
Canals, Etawah branch, p. 51.
Canals, Upper Ganges, p. 68.
Canal divisions, p. 46.
Canal inspection houses, p. 78.
Canal telegraph, p. 140.
Castes, Hindu, pp. 88, 100.
Castes proprietary, p. 104.
Castes cultivating, p. 107.
Cattle, p. 29.
Cattle, disease, p. 30.
Census, p. 80.
Chamars, p. 89.
Chauhans, p. 91,
Chitain, p. 204.
Cholera, 88.
Christianity, p. 86.
Climate, p 80.
Cocks, Mr., p. 165.
Commanications, 76.
Condition of the people, p. 111.
Cotton, p, 42.
Cotton ginning, p. 74.
Grime, p. 182.
Criminal tribes, p. 100.
Crops, p. 40.
Cultivated area, p. 86.
Cultivating castes, p. 107.
Cultivating tenures, p. 106.
Cultivation, p. 87.
Oultuiable waste, p. 87.
Cunningham, Lt.-Col., p. 168.
D.
JD0ad0, pp. 5, 257.*
DeKantiow, Ideatenan^ p. 165^
Dehli, pp.l61,20«.
B^Jalhan t^ppa, p. 204.
Density ol popi^Utti, p..82.
11
IlTDEX.
Dirgpal Singh, Eonwar, p. 262.
Dhenkli, p. 68
Dhixnars, p. 97.
Dispensaries, p. 144.
District boa^, p. 142.
Drainage, p. 19.
Drainage lines, p. 20.
Drugs, hemp p. 188.
J>umat, p. 4.
E.
Education, p. 142.
Eka, p. 205.
Eka, raja of, pp. 104, 205.
Excise, p. 138.
P.
Fairs, p. 76.
Famines, p. GO.
Farrukhabad Nawabs, p. 158.
Fauna, p. 27.
Fever, p. 82.
Fiscal history, p. 116.
Fisheries, p. 28.
Formation of district, p. 116.
G.
Gadariyas, p. 97.
Oanra, p. 23.
Oauhan, p. 5.
Ohiror, p. 205.
Ghiror pargana, p. 205.
Glass, crude, p. 71.
Glass bangles, p. 73.
Groves, p. 24.
H.
Hafiz BiOimat Ehan, p. 161.
Matpa0t p. 209.
Hayes, Major, p. 169.
H^th, p. 8L
Hemp drugs, p. 188.
Hindu sects, p. 87.
Hindu oastes, pp. 88—100.
History, early, of district, p. 146.
Hodson, p. 175.
Holkar, attacks Mainpuri, p. 164.
Horses, p. 29.
Humayun, p. 157.
I.
Ibrahim Lodi, p. 155.
Ibrahim Shah, p. 151.
Infanticide, p. 184.
Infirmities, p. 81.
Inspection houses, p. 78.
Interest, p. 68.
Iqbal Ehan, pp. 150, 151.
Irrigation, pp. 44, 69.
Isan, the, p. 13.
J.
JaU, p. 137.
Jains, p. 86.
Jamna, the, p. 9.
Janamejaya, p. 246.
Jasrana, p. 209.
Jaunpur kingdom, p. 149.
Jawapux, p. 209.
Jhilt, p. 18.
Jhorit pp. 5, 257.
Jokhaiya, p. 245.
Jot, p. 210.
Jungles, p. 23.
K.
I Eahar, p. 4.
Kabsa, p. 5.
KaekKoTt pp. 6, 10, 267.
Eaohhis, p. 89.
Kadheras, p. 260.
Kahars, p. 97.
Eailai, p. 210.
Eak Nadi, the, p. 17.
EaU Nadi, the, p. 12.
Eali Nadi floods, p. 125.
Eankan, p. 210.
Kankar, p. 26.
EaM#, p. 125.
Earhal, p. 211.
Earhal pargana, p. 212.
Earhal tahsil, p. 215.
Karimganj, p. 216.
Karkha, p. 256.
Eaumra Buzurg, p. 217.
Ehan Bahadm Ehan, p. 217.
Ebarif crops, p. 42,
Ehizr Ehan, p. 151.
Khwaja-i'Jalian, p. 149.
Eirars, p. 260.
Eishni, p. 218.
Eishni-Nabiganj pargana, p. 218.
Eosma, p. 222.
Euchel^^ p. 222.
Eumhaul, p. 222.
Euraoli, p. 223.
Kuradi, pargana, p. 224.
Euraoli, mutiny at, p. 170.
Eurra, p. 827.
Eushal Pal Singh, Thakur, p. 106.
Eusiari, p. 227.
Eusmara, pp. 202, 227.
L.
Laik Singh; Thakur, pp. 288, 269.
Lakes and Marshes, p. 18.
xavisx.
m
Ula Pholzari Lai, p. 216.
jjane, Mr,, p. 232.
janguago, p. 102.
'jevels, p. 2.
jiteraoy, p. 143.
jiterature, p. 102.
jodhas, p. 96.
jupton, Mr., p. 12G.
M.
ifadhan, p. 228.
Hahtnud of Ghazni, p. 146.
tiahmud of Jannpur, p. 152.
ilahali Shamsherganj, p. 228.
tfainpuri, p. 229.
ilainpuri, Civil station, p. 233.
ilainpuri pargana, p. 234.
^inpuri tahsil, p. 236.
Ifatyar, p. 4.
Vlalik Kafur, p. 148.
^nohhana, p. 238.
lilanohhana laluqa, p. 115.
Manjha, p. 5.
iianufaaturos, p. 71.
Ifanure, p. 89.
ilarathas, pp. 159, IGl.
Uatijfar, p. 3.
iioOonaghoy, Mr., p. 123.
Ifilauna, p. 5.
ilubarak Shah, p. 150.
ifuhammad Khan Bangash, 159.
duhammad Shah Tuglaq, p. 149.
luhammad Shah of Jaunpnr, p. 153.
luhammadpur Lobhaua, p. 238.
luhkamganj, pp. 229, 232.
funioipality, p. 140.
lusilmans, p. 85.
fuBtafabad, p. 238.
lustafabad pargana and tahsil, p. 239.
lutiny, the, pp. 164—176.
N.
Tabiganj, p. 243.
Tadir Sh^, p. 160.
Tandia, the, pp. lu, 17.
Tanner, p. 244.
Totified areas p. 141.
Tusrat Shah, p. 150.
o.
iooupations, p. 101.
'pinm, p. 138,
>pium department, p. 114.
Irawar Hasht Tataf, p. 244.
P.
'adham, p.245.
aindhat, p. 245.
toaimkha» pp. 157, 1S2.
Parham, p. 245.
Pariar, p. 246.
Patara, p. 247.
Patsni nala, p. 12.
People, condition of, p. 111.
Pharenji, p, 247.
Pharha or Phariha, p. 247.
Phariha>Kotla estate, p. 105.
£ilia p. 4.
Plagne, p. 84.
Police, p. 132.
Police stations, p. 182.
Poppy, p. 41.
Population, density of, p. 82.
Population, migration of, p. 84.
Population, oocupations of, p. 101.
Population, sex of, p. 84.
Population, of towns and villages, p. 83.
Post office, p. 140.
Power, Mr. John, p. 165.
Power, Mr. James, p. 166,
Precarious tracts, p. 24.
Prices, p. 65.
Printing presses, p. 102.
Proprietary tenures, p. 102.
Proprietary castes, p. 104.
Pundri, p. 248.
Puth, p. 4.
Q.
Qaim Khan, p. ICO.
R.
Rahi crops, p. 40.
Bai Partab, pp. 161, 152.
Baikes, I^Iajor, 171.
Baikes, Mr. pp. 134, 230, 2C1.
Bailways, p. 76.
Bainfall, p. 31.
Baja Sheomangal Singh of Mainporii
pp. 94, 200, 208, 23G.
Baja Tej Singh of Mainpuri, p. 174.
Baja of £ka, 104.
Bajpats, p. 91.
Bapri, p. 248.
Kapri, history of p. 147.
Bapri, merc^ in neighbouring flefiii
p.156.
Bapri, mahal of p. 158.
Begistration, p. 189.
p. 45.
Beligions, p. 85.
Bents, 103.
Bind, the, p. 14.
Bivers, p. 9.
Beads, p. 77.
8 .
8 ^du;Mig,lfS 0 ^ 168 .
B.hu(; P.S49.
Sahara, p. S60.
Saltpetre p. 74.
Barman, p. 250.
Barman, ^kux of pp, 106, 921.
Barman jhil at, p. 910.
Bamam olngh, p. 196.
Sanradharan of Etawah, p. 140.
*' Batia '* oculists, p. 228.
Sauj, p. 251.
Seaton, Brigadier, p. 175.
Bengar, the. p, 16.
Senhar, the, p. 15.
Settlement, first iriennial, p. 117,
Settlement, second triennial, p. 118.
Bettlem^t, first quadrennial, p. 119.
Settlement, quinquennial, p. 120.
Bettleinent, Mr. Edmonstone’s p. 122.
Settlement, Mr. Edmonstone’s, revision
■ of p. 128.
Bettleinent, of 1870-78, p. 128.
Settlement, of 1002-06, p. 126.
Sex statist ioB, p. 84.
8hahab-ud-din Ghori, p. 146.
Sher Sht^h, p. 157.
Shikohahad, p. 251.
Bhikohabod, attacked by Marathas, p.
159.
Bhikohabad, cantonment at, p. 163.
Shikohabad tahsil, p. 255.
Bhuja-ud-daula, p. 161.
Shuja-ud-daula, ^acquiries Mainpnri
parmnas, n. 163.
Sikanoar Lodi, p. 155.
Binkh, p. 28.
Bitsa, the, p. 16.
Bitsaganj, p. 261.
Small-pox, p. 88.
Bmeaton, Mr. p. 123.
SqU8,p,8.
Bofi tm^, p. 6. ^
Staff, dmiot, p. 118* «
Stamps, p. 139.
> Streams^ minor p. 16.
Bub-divisions, p* 118.
Buiiai estate, p. 186.
Sultan Bi^, Kunwas, p. 969.
•iirtra..;
T.
Tajhul-mulk, p. 151.
Tarai,p.6.
TaHt p. 189. ^
TarkaAit PP* 78, 228.
Titnti, tenure, p. 103.
Tej Singh, Baja of Mainpuri, pp. 169, IV
Telegraphs, p. 140.
Tele^phs. Uanal, p. 140.
Tenures, proprietary, p. 102.
Tenures, onJtivating, p. 106.
Tenures, tau8i,.p. 108.
Tikuriya, p. 4.
Timur, invasion of, p. 150.
Tir, pp. 5, 11, 257.
Topo^pliy, p. 1.
Town Acts XXi.l41.
Trade, p. 71.
Vvatkati p.i6, 257.
Uresar, p. 262.
Unnara Kirsr, p. 260.
Usnida, p. 262.
Value of land, p. 110.
Village banks, p. 70.
Village munsifs, p. 114.
Vital statistics, p. 82.
w.
Wages, p. 67.
Waste land, p. 22. ^
Weights and measures, if. 68. , *
Well s, p. 68.
Weils, methods of maMng an^
p. 64.
Whealr, p. 40. v
■Z.
«* 48 ..
